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BANCROFT 
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A   DICTIONARY 


OF    THE 


■    BOOK  OF  MORMON, 

COMPRISING    ITS 

BIOGRAPHICAI.,     GEOGRAPHICAL     AND 

OTHER    PROPER    NAMES. 


By  Elder  George  Reynolds, 

Author  of  "  7/ie  Story  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,^'  "  The  Myth  of  the 
Manuscript  Found,"   Etc,   Etc. 


•//  -n-i 


1891. 

SALT     LAKE     CITY,    UTAH. 

JOS.   HYRUM    PARRY. 


COPYRIGHT,  i8gi,  by 
George  Reynolds 


,  .  (.  i./,l;Y 


T^io^P^fS 


PREFACE. 

The  increasing  interest  taken  in  the 
study  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  in  the 
history  of  the  peoples  whose  origin,  progress 
and  destrudlion  it  narrates,  encourages  the 
author  of  this  little  work  to  think  that  this 
addition  to  the  literature  of  the  subject  will 
not  be  like  one  born  out  of  due  time,  but  will 
be  received  as  an  acceptable  aid  to  the  stud}^ 
of  its  sacred  pages.  To  the  members  of  the 
Theological  Classes  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  whether  of  the 
quorums  of  the  Priesthood,  of  the  Sunday 
Schools,  Church  Schools  or  Improvement 
Associations,  we  particularly  submit  this 
book — the  first  of  its  kind  —  believing  it  will 
afibrd  them  material  help  in  their  investiga- 
tions of  Book  of  Mormon  subje6ls,  and  their 
stud}^  of  Nephite  and  Jaredite  history;  and 
we  trust  it  will  not  be  without  value  to  every 
one  who  takes  an  interest  in  the  races  who 
rose,  flourished  and  vanished  in  Ancient 
America. 


Y )  i  /\ )  i  I ;  I.I 

PREFACE. 

This  Dictionary  contains  the  name  of 
every  person  and  place  mentioned  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  with  a  few  other  snbjedls  of 
interest  referred  to  therein. 

With  the  hope  that  it  may  not  be  alto- 
gether unprodnctive  of  good,  or  of  increas- 
ing true  knowledge  with  regard  to  the  hand- 
workings  of  God  in  the  history  of  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  this  little  volume  is 
respectfully  submitted  to  all  who  love  the 
truth. 

GEO.   REYNOLDS. 
January,  i,   1892. 


A    DICTIONARY 


OF  THE 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


Note. — The  name  of  a  person  or  place  printed  in  Italics 
directs  attention  to  the  matter  under  that  particular  heading 
for  further  information,  and  obviates  the  necessity  of  references, 
such  as  [See  Alma]. 


AARON.  One  of  the  sons  of  the  Nephite 
King,  Mosiah  11^  generally  supposed  to  have  been 
the  eldest,  as  it  is  said  that  the  sovereignty  of  the 
people  rightly  belonged  to  him  on  the  death  of  his 
father,  but  he  refused  this  great  honor  on  purpose 
to  fulfil  a  mission  to  the  Lamanites,  upon  which 
he  and  his  brothers  had  set  their  hearts.  Aaron 
was  bom  in  the  land  of  Zarahemla,  probably  not 
•earlier  than  B.  C.  125,  as  his  father  would  then 
have  been  about  thirty  years  old.  During  his 
youth  he  was  wayward  and  uncontrollable,  and 
joined  with  those  who  persecuted  the  people  of 
God.  In  fa(?t  he  and  his  brothers  and  the  younger 
Alma  were  leaders  among  those  who  harassed  the 
church.  The  condudl  of  the  young  princes  in  this 
regard  cannot  be  ascribed  to  the  corrupting  in- 
fluence of  lives  of  pomp  and  luxury  spent  at  their 
father's  court,  for  that  was  a  model  of  simplicity 
and  frugality,  and  the  king  himself  labored  with 
his  hands  to  lighten  the  burdens  of  the  people. 


Aaron.  2 

But  it  may  more  justly  be  attributed  to  the  want 
of  thought,  to  the  self-conceit  and  stubbornness  so 
frequently  shown  in  the  lives  of  the  young,  until 
maturer  years  and  wider  experience  teach  them 
humility  and  reverence.  From  this  evil  course  of 
life  Aaron  and  his  associates  were  rescued  by  the 
diredl  interposition  of  Heaven.  He  was  in  the 
traveling  company  that  was  stopped  on  the  way 
by  the  angel  of  the  Lord, who, in  tones  of  thunder, 
which  caused  the  solid  earth  to  tremble,  reproved 
its  members  for  their  sins  and  commanded  them  to 
molest  the  saints  no  more.  From  this  moment 
Aaron  was  a  changed  man,  he  gave  to  God  and 
heaven  his  undivided  life.  Where  he  had  done  evil 
he  sought  to  make  amends  and  where  he  had  in- 
cited to  turbulency  he  became  a  peacemaker. 
Shortly  afterwards  he  and  his  brothers  com- 
menced to  labor  as  missionaries  among  the  Ne- 
phites.  They  next  determined  to  lay  their  lives  on 
the  altar  of  sacrifice  and  go  up  to  the  land  of 
Nephi,  into  the  midst  of  the  Lamanites,  and  bear 
to  them  the  message  of  God's  condescension  and 
love.  From  this  seeming  rash  resolve  most  of 
their  friends  sought  to  dissuade  the  young  princes. 
They  pidlured  to  them  the  perils  of  the  venture, 
the  hopelessness  of  the  task.  But  it  availed  not. 
The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  burning  within  them,* 
they  were  oppressed  with  the  thought  of  the 
value  of  human  souls  that  were  perishing  for  lack 
of  knowledge.  The  good  king  himself  had  scarce- 
ly the  fervor  of  his  sons,  he  hesitated  to  give  his 
consent,  for  he  doubted,  as  from  past  experience 
he  had  good  cause  to  doubt,  that  they  would  be 
able  to  reclaim  from  their  savage  ways  the  be- 
nighted children  of  Laban.  However,  he  inquired 
of  the  Lord.  The  answer  was  full  of  assurances 
of  success,  and  of  Divine  protection  for  his  sons. 
Thus  strengthened  he  sent  them  forth  with  his 
blessing.  But  as  he  was  growing  old  the  question 
of  who  should  succeed  him  on  the  Nephite  throne 


3  Aaron. 

filled  his  mind.  He  sent  among  the  people  to  in- 
quire who  would  be  their  choice.  The  people  an- 
swered Aaron.  But  Aaron  would  not  accept  the 
crown,  his  mind  w^as  on  other  objects  fully  bent. 
So,  lest  he  should  ever  change  his  mind  and  de- 
mand the  kingly  authority  as  his  right,  his  father 
decided,  with  the  consent  of  the  people,  to  change 
the  form  of  the  government  of  the  nation  from  a 
monarchy  to  a  republic;  which  change  was  made 
by  unanimous  consent.  When  the  young  men  left 
Zarahemla  (B.  C.  91)  they  departed  into  the  wilder- 
ness that  divided  the  possessions  of  the  Nephites 
from  the  Lamanites,  and  amidst  its  discourage- 
ments they  almost  lost  heart,  but  were  animated 
to  renewed  endeavor  by  Divine  manifestations. 
When  they  reached  the  borders  of  the  Lamanites 
the  missionaries  separated.  Aaron  journeyed  to- 
wards a  land  called  Jerusalem^  in  which  was  built 
a  great  city  of  the  same  name,  peopled  largely  and 
controlled  b^^  Nephite  apostates  of  the  order  of 
Nehor.  Aaron  entered  into  their  synagogues  and 
preached;  he  proclaimed  the  word  wherever  he 
had  opportunity.  But  they  would  not  accept  it. 
Finding  his  efforts  in  their  behalf  useless,  after  a 
time  he  left  them  and  went  over  to  a  village  called 
Ani-Anti.  There  he  found  some  of  his  brethren 
zealously  ministering,  but  the  people  hardened 
their  hearts  against  the  gospel  message.  So  they 
all  departed  and  journeyed  to  the  land  of  Middoni. 
Here  again  they  preached  to  many,  though  but  few 
believed.  The  hardened  unbelievers  treated  the 
brethren  with  much  cruelty,  so  that  some  of  them 
fled,  while  the  rest,  among  whom  was  Aaron, 
were  taken  and  cast  into  prison  where  they  were 
abused  with  great  inhumanity;  their  lives  were 
preserved  by  the  power  of  God  alone.  In  prison 
they  remained  until  the^^  were  delivered  by  Am- 
nion, Aaron's  brother,  and  king  Latnoni.  The 
latter  had  influence  enough  w^ith  Antiomno,  the 
king    of    Middcni,   to  secure  the    release    of  the 


Aaron,  4 

brethren.  Some  time  after  their  release,  Aaron  left 
the  land  of  Middoni  and  was  led  by  the  Spirit  to 
the  land  of  Lehi-Nephiy  where  was  the  abode  of 
the  chief  king  over  the  Lamanites.  Aaron  and  his 
brethren  repaired  to  the  palace,  bowed  before  the 
king,  told  him  who  they  were  and  offered  to  be 
his  servants.  To  this  he  would  not  consent.  He 
had  already  learned  something  of  the  gospel  from 
Ammon,  and  now  desired  to  hear  more.  At  his  re- 
quest, Aaron  explained  to  him  many  things  re- 
lating to  the  nature  of  God  and  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion ,  for,  though  he  recognized  the  power  and 
might  of  the  Great  Spirit,  he  was  altogether  igno- 
rant of  things  concerning  the  Deity. 

These  truths  were  gratefully  received  by  the  king, 
who  besought  Aaron  to  teach  him  how  he  might 
obtain  the  eternal  life  of  which  he  spoke.  Aaron 
instructed  him  to  bow  down  before  the  Lord  in 
prayer,  and  then,  in  faith,  ask  for  the  blessings  he 
desired.  The  aged  king  did  so.  He  prostrated 
himself  on  the  ground  and  cried  mightily  to  the 
Lord,  promising  to  give  away  all  his  sins  if  he 
could  know  Him  and  be  raised  from  the  dead,  and 
be  saved  at  the  last  day.  So  great  was  his  emo- 
tion, that  when  he  had  finished  his  prayer  he  was 
struck  as  if  he  were  dead.  When  the  king  thus  fell 
his  servants  ran  and  told  the  queen  what  had 
happened.  She  at  once  came  into  the  room  where 
he  lay,  and  seeing  Aaron  and  his  brethren  standing 
by  she  became  very  angry,  as  she  supposed  that 
they  were  the  cause  of  the  evil  that  had,  in  her 
estimation,  befallen  her  husband.  She,  without 
hesitation,  ordered  the  king's  servants  to  take  the 
brethren  and  slay  them;  but  they  dared  not,  for 
they  feared  the  power  which  was  in  Aaron.  The 
queen  was  also  afraid,  but  she  seemed  to  think 
that  the  best  way  to  get  rid  of  the  trouble  was  to 
destroy  those  who  brought  it.  As  the  king's  ser- 
vants refused  to  obey  her  command,  she  ordered 
them  to  go  out  into  the  streets  and  call  upon  the 


5  Aaron. 

people  to  come  in  and  kill  Aaron  and  his  com- 
panions. When  Aaron  saw  the  temper  of  the 
queen,  he  feared  lest  the  multitude,  in  the  hardness 
of  their  hearts,  would  raise  a  great  commotion, 
and  cause  the  hindering  of  the  work  of  God,  which 
had  so  auspiciously  commenced.  Therefore  he  put 
forth  his  hand  and  raised  the  monarch  from  the 
earth,  and  at  the  same  time  commanded  him  to 
stand.  The  king  at  once  received  his  strength  and 
stood  upon  his  feet,  at  the  sight  of  which  the 
queen  and  her  servants  wondered  greatly  and 
were  filled  with  fear. 

Then  the  king  began  to  explain  to  them  what 
he  had  learned  with  regard  to  God  and  the  gospel, 
and  he  spoke  with  such  great  power  that  his  whole 
household  was  converted.  The  multitude  also 
that  had  gathered  at  the  call  of  the  queen  were 
pacified  by  his  words,  and  when  he  saw  that  their 
hearts  were  softened  he  caused  that  Aaron  and  his 
brethren  should  teach  them  the  word  of  God. 
After  the  king  was  converted  he  sent  a  proclama- 
tion throughout  the  land  forbidding  any  and  all 
from  persecuting  Aaron  and  his  fellow-mission- 
aries, giving  them  liberty  to  preach  anywhere 
they  desired  Our  readers  may  be  sure  that  this 
privilege  was  not  neglected.  Nor  was  the  result 
of  their  labors  trifling,  but  glorious  in  the  saving 
of  many  thousand  souls ;  for  unto  the  Lord  were 
converted  the  people  of  the  Lamanites  who  dwelt 
in  the  lands  of  Ishmael,  Middoni,  Shilom  and 
Shemlon,  and  the  cities  of  Nephi,  Lemuel  and 
Shimnilon ;  and  thej^  became  a  righteous,  peaceful, 
God-serving  people,  and  from  faithful  obedience  to 
His  laws  they  never  fell  away.  But  the  various 
bodies  of  Nephite  apostates  who  dwelt  among  the 
Lamanites  universally  rejected  the  gospel  message, 
with  the  exception  of  one  single  Amalekite.  The 
renegade  Amalekites,  Amulonites  and  others  were 
not  willing  to  be  ruled  by  a  Christian  monarch. 
They    had  rejected    Christianity  altogether,   and 


Aaron.  6 

would  not  have  it  as  the  ruling  power,  either  in 
Nephi  or  Zarahemla.  With  the  old  sophistries  and 
falsehoods  they  raised  a  mutiny  in  the  hearts  of 
their  associate  Lamanites  and  urged  them  on  to 
rebellion  against  the  rightful  king  and  his  believing 
subjects.  But  the  converted  Lamanites  made  no 
preparations  to  resist  them  ;  they  felt  that  in  times 
past,  with  unholy  hands,  they  had  spilled  blood  as 
water  on  the  land;  blood  that  they  could  never 
atone  for,  but  they  would  do  it  no  more.  Passive 
non-resistance  for  the  future  should  be  their  policy, 
but  the  blood  of  a  fellow-being  they  would  never 
again  shed,  no  matter  how  great  the  peril,  how 
intense  the  aggravation.  As  a  witness  of  the 
completeness  of  this  resolution,  they  took  their 
weapons,  of  war  and  buried  them  deep  in  the  earth 
with  an  oath  and  covenant  that  they  would  never 
dig  them  up  again.  Their  integrity  was  soon  put 
to  the  test,  for  the  unconverted  Lamanites,  incited 
and  led  by  the  Nephite  apostates,  fell  upon  them, 
and,  with  sword  and  spear,  massacred  one  thous- 
and and  five  of  their  innocent  unresisting  fellows. 
No  opposition  was  offered,  no  vain  strugglings  oc- 
curred, the  victims  calmly  but  resolutely  bowed 
before  the  assassins'  steel,  and  rejoiced  in  the  op- 
portunity of  showing  their  devotion  to  God,  even 
unto  death.  The  sacrifice  of  so  many  of  their  un- 
resisting brethren  brought  a  deep  change  of  feeling 
in  many  of  the  rude  Lamanites;  they  refused  to  be 
any  longer  the  murderers  of  their  kindred,  they 
strove  to  emulate  so  noble  an  example  and  more 
were  added,  that  day,  to  the  church,  than  those 
whose  spirits  had  ascended  to  the  Great  White 
Throne,  and  whose  blood  smoked  up  to  heaven  as 
a  testimony  against  traitors  and  apostates. 

The  intriguing  apostate  bodies  who  hated  the 
Nephites  with  a  fiercer  hatred  than  the  Lamanites 
had  done,  not  being  able  to  incite  the  people  to 
fresh  atrocities  against  their  Christian  brethren, 
managed  to  get  up  a  Nephite  invasion.    Its  results 


7  Aaron. 

were  most  disastrous  to  them,  and  while  smart- 
ing under  the  shame  of  ignominious  defeat,  incited 
by  the  Amalekites,  they  again  fell  upon  the  unof- 
fending people  of  Anti-Nephi-Lehi^  as  the  Christian 
Lamanites  were  then  called,  and  again  stained 
their  hands  with  the  blood  of  unresisting  inno- 
cence. It  is  probable  that  they  would  ultimately 
have  destroyed  the  whole  of  this  persecuted  people, 
had  not  the  latter,  under  the  guidance  of  the 
heaven-inspired  sons  of  Mosiah,  left  their  homes 
and  possessions,  and  undertaken  an  exodus  north- 
ward. They  threw  themselves  upon  the  gener- 
osity of  the  Nephites,  who  joyfully  received  them, 
and  set  apart  the  land  of  Jershon  for  their  inherit- 
ance. After  the  return  of  the  sons  of  Mosiah  to 
the  land  of  Zarahemla  we  have  little  account  of 
Aaron,  except  incidental  references  to  his  virtues, nor 
do  we  know  anything  of  his  death .  He  was  alive  in 
the  year  B.  C.  75,  for  in  that  year  he  accompanied 
Alma  to  the  land  of  Antionum,  on  his  mission  to 
the  Zoratnites,  and  there  labored  with  faithfulness 
and  zeal.  When  that  mission  was  ended  he  ap- 
pears to  have  accompanied  the  rest  of  the  mission- 
aries to  the  land  of  Jershon,  after  which  we  hear 
no  more  of  him  or  of  his  labors. 

AARON.  A  king  of  the  Lamanites,  who 
reigned  in  the  first  half  of  the  fourth  century  A. 
C,  and  who  figured  in  the  last  great  war  between 
that  people  and  the  Nephites.  We  have  no  ac- 
count, in  the  sacred  record,  of  who  he  was  or  how 
he  became  king.  He  is  mentioned  twice  by  name 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Once  in  the  year  A.  C. 
330,  when  he  with  an  attacking  army  of  44,000 
was  defeated  b3^  Mormon  with  42,000  men,  and 
again  an  incidental  statement  is  made  in  the 
second  epistle  of  Mormon  to  his  son  Moroni,  of  the 
horrible  fate  of  certain  ones  who  had  fled  to  the 
army  of  Aaron.  As  this  last  named  circumstance 
appears  to  have  taken  place  some  considerable 
time  after  the  battle  above  mentioned,  it  is  pre- 


Aaron.  8 

sumable  that  he  ruled  his  people  for  a  lengthy 
period.  It  is  only  reasonable  to  judge  that  the 
king  of  such  a  people  as  the  Lamanites  then  were, 
would  be  a  type  of  the' race — brutal,  bloodthirsty 
and  merciless. 

AARON.  One  of  the  royal  race  of  the  Jared- 
ites.  He  was  the  son  of  Heth,  sl  descendant  of 
Jared.  In  the  days  of  his  grandfather,  Hearthom, 
who  was  the  reigning  monarch,  the  kingdom  w^as 
taken  away  from  him  and  he  was  kept  a  prisoner 
all  his  days.  His  son  Heth^  his  grandson  Aaron, 
and  Aaron's  son  Amnigaddah  w^ere  also  kept  in 
captivity  all  their  lives  by  the  triumphant  party. 
In  the  days  of  Aaron's  great-grandson,  Com,  the 
kingdom  was  reconquered  for  the  dynasty  of 
which  Aaron  was  a  member.  At  a  rough  guess 
we  should  imagine  that  Aaron  lived  about  a 
thousand  years  before  Christ. 

AARON,  CITY  OF.  When  Alma  was  first 
cast  out  of  Ammonibah  he  turned  his  face  to- 
ward a  city  called  Aaron  (Alma  viii:  13).  It  |is 
natural  to  suppose  that  Aaron  was  not  far  dis- 
tant from  Ammonihah;  at  any  rate,  not  on  the 
other  side  of  the  continent.  Yet  the  only  other 
time  when  a  city  called  Aaron  is  referred  to,  it  is 
spoken  of  as  joining  the  land  of  Moroni^  which 
was  the  frontier  districft  in  the  extreme  southeast 
of  the  lands  possessed  by  the  Nephites.  Our  only 
way  out  of  this  difficulty  is  to  suggest  that  there 
were  two  cities  called  Aaron;  not  at  all  an  un- 
likely thing  when  we  refledl  how  important  a  per- 
sonage Aaron,  the  son  of  Mosiah,  was  among  his 
people.  When  chosen  to  be  king  he  declined  this 
great  honor  and  the  republic  was  established.  It 
requires  no  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  believe 
that  a  free  and  grateful  people  would  name  more 
than  one  city  in  honor  of  this  self-denying  prince. 

The  only  mention  made  of  the  first  of  these 
two  cities  is  that  Alma  bent  his  way  '*to wards  the 
city  which  was  called  Aaron."  (B.  C.  82.)  Of  the 


Aaron,  Borders  of.       9  Abinadi. 

second  city  of  Aaron  we  learn  that  it  was  north  of 
Moroni,  on  the  Atlantic  slope;  between  these  tw^o 
places  the  Nephites  built  (B.  C.  72)  a  third  city 
and  called  it  Nephihah  (Alma  50 :  14). 

AARON,  BORDERS  OF.  The  only  time 
that  this  place  is  mentioned  is  in  Alma  50:  14, 
when  the  building  of  the  city  of  Nephihah  is 
spoken  of.  It  is  stated  that  the  Nephites  also 
began  a  foundation  for  a  city  between  the  city  of 
Moroni  and  the  city  of  Aaron,  joining  the  borders 
of  Aaron  and  Moroni ;  and  they  called  the  name  of 
the  city  or  the  land,  Nephihah. 

ABEL.  The  son  of  Adam.  He  is  mentioned 
once  by  name  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (Helaman 
6 :  27) ,  when  his  murder  by  his  brother  Cain  is 
referred  to. 

ABINADI.  A  Nephite  prophet,  whom  the 
Lord  raised  up  in  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi  to  re- 
prove the  wicked  people  of  King  Noah  for  their 
sins.  As  near  as  we  can  tell  he  delivered  his 
prophecies  about  150  B.  C.  At  his  first  appear- 
ance he  announced  as  the  w^ord  of  the  Lord  that 
if  the  people  did  not  repent  of  their  iniquities  they 
should  be  brought  into  bondage  and  none  should 
deliver  them  except  the  Lord,  and  He  would  be 
slow  to  hear  their  prayers  in  the  days  of  their 
tribulations.  The  people  did  not  repent,  but 
sought  the  life  of  Abinadi  and  his  words  were  ful- 
filled in  the  days  of  Noah's  son,  Limhi.  Two 
years  later  he  reappeared  in  disguise,  so  that  the 
people  knew  him  not,  and  pronounced  yet  greater 
woes  upon  the  unrepentant  Noah  and  his  subjedls. 
Slavery  of  the  most  oppressive  kind,  famine,  pesti- 
lence and  death  were  to  be  their  lot,  and  but  a  few 
years  passed  before  Abinadi's  prophecies  wxre 
fulfilled.  For  his  bold  denunciations  of  their 
abominations  he  was  taken  by  the  priests  of  the 
king  with  whom  he  had  a  long  controversy  on  the 
principle  of  the  atonement  and  other  laws  of  God, 
which    ended  in  his  being  condemned  to   death. 


Abinadom.  10  Abish. 

In  accordance  with  this  sentence  he  was  burned  at 
the  stake  in  the  City  of  Lehi-Nephi.  One  man 
only,  Alma  the  elder,  of  whom  we  have  record, 
pleaded  with  Noah  in  behalf  of  Abinadi,  and  this 
so  incensed  the  sin-degraded  king  that  he  sought 
to  take  Alma's  life.  Alma,  however,  escaped  and  in 
his  place  of  retreat  made  a  record  of  the  teachings 
and  acts  of  Abinadi,  and  to  that  record  we  are 
indebted  for  some  of  the  most  precious  gospel 
teachings  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

ABINADOM.  A  Nephite  prophet  and  histori- 
an, who  lived  in  the  third  century  before  Christ.  He 
received  the  plates  of  Nephi  from  his  father,  Chem- 
ish,  who  was  a  descendant  of  Jacob,  the  brother  of 
Nephi,  and  at  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  days 
of  the  first  Mosiah,  his  son,  Amaleki  took  charge 
of  them.  Either  he  or  his  son,  conveyed  the  sacred 
records  from  the  land  of  Nephi  to  Zarahemla,  in 
the  great  migration  of  the  Nephites  under  Mosiah, 
but  the  record  does  not  show  whether  he  died  in 
the  land  of  Nephi  before  this  movement  took  place 
or  after.  His  record  is  a  very  short  one.  From  it 
we  learn  that  he  was  a  warrior,  and  had  seen 
many  wars  between  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites, 
and  that  in  those  wars  he,  w^th  his  own  sword, 
had  taken  the  lives  of  many  of  the  enemy  in  the 
defence  of  his  brethren.  These  disastrous  wars 
were  undoubtedly  one  of  the  causes  that  led  to 
the  removal  of  the  righteous  portion  of  the  Neph- 
ites from  Nephi  to  Zarahemla.  Abinadom  conclu- 
des his  brief  record  with  the  following  statement: 
''And  I  know  of  no  revelation,  save  that  which 
has  been  written,  neither  prophecy;  wherefore, 
that  which  is  sufl[icient  is  written.  And  I  make  an 
end." 

ABISH.  A  Lamanite  woman  of  the  land  of 
Ishmael,  who  was  a  servant-maid  to  the  queen  of 
King  Lamoni,  at  the  time  that  Ammon  the  son  of 
Mosiah,  carried  the  gospel  to  that  people.  (B.  C. 
91 ) .     Abish  herself,  had  been  converted  to  the  Lord 


Abish.  11  Ablon. 

many  years  previously  through  a  remarkable 
vision  which  had  been  granted  to  her  father,  but 
of  this  conversion  she  had  never  spoken.  When 
Lamoni  and  all  his  court,  including  Ammon,  were 
overcome  by  the  power  of  God  that  they  fell  to  the 
earth,  Abish  understood  by  what  power the^^  were 
affected.  In  the  hope  of  convincing  the  people  of 
the  divinity  of  Aramon's  message,  she  joyously  ran 
from  house  to  house  and  told  all  she  met  what 
had  happened.  While  she  was  thus  engaged  a 
multitude  gathered  at  the  palace.  They  viewed 
with  many  conflidling  emotions  the  monarch,  his 
w4fe,  and  retainers  all  lying  as  if  dead,  with  Am- 
mon, the  Nephite,  also  lying  in  their  midst.  A  great 
dispute  arose,  some  argued  for  good,  some  for  evil, 
and  the  contention  would  doubtless  have  ended  in 
bloodshed  had  not  Abish  returned.  She  was 
greatly  grieved  at  the  turn  matters  had  taken. 
In  the  hope  of  raising  the  queen  from  the  ground 
Abish  took  her  by  the  hand.  No  sooner  did  she  do 
so  than  the  queen  revived  and  arose.  The  latter 
uttered  many  expressions  of  love  and  gratitude  to 
the  Savior  and  pleaded  for  His  mercy  for  her  subjects . 
She  next  took  her  husband  by  the  hand,  when  he 
arose  also,  and  seeing  the  contention  he  rebuked 
the  people  and  began  to  teach  them  the  truths  of 
the  Gospel.  Here  commenced  the  great  w^ork  of 
conversion  among  the  Lamanitesw^hich  eventually 
terminated  in  the  salvation  of  man\^  thousand 
souls.  Abish  is  mentioned  in  the  book  of  Mormon 
only  in  connection  with  this  incident. 

ABLON.  A  place  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard 
of  the  Northern  Continent,  east  of  the  hill 
Cumorah.  The  Lord  in  a  dream  warned  Omer, 
king  of  the  Jaredites,  to  flee  from  his  native  land, 
at  the  time  his  kingdom  was  overthrown  by  Akish 
and  his  friends.  This  he  did,  and  after  a  long 
journey  settled  at  Ablon.  Nimrah,  a  son  of  Akish, 
with  a  number  of  adherents,  afterwards  joined 
Omer  at  Ablon.     After  many  years  Omer  was  re- 


Abraham.  12  Aha. 

stored  to  his  kingdom  and  returned  to  his  own 
land. 

ABRAHAM.  The  father  of  the  faithful.  As 
in  the  Bible  so  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  God  is  fre- 
quently spoken  of  as  the  God  of  Abraham.  Most 
of  the  references  to  Abraham  in  the  latter  book 
are  dod:rinal  and  but  few  historical;  mention  is 
however  made  of  his  paying  tithes  to  Melchizedek. 

ADAM.  The  great  father  of  the  human 
family.  His  name  is  mentioned  about  two  dozen 
times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  almost  always  in 
connedlion  with  the  creation,  or  with  the  doArine 
of  the  fall  and  the  atonement. 

AGOSH,  PLAINS  OF.  A  place,  locality  un- 
known, in  North  America,  where  a  great  battle 
was  fought  in  the  final  war  among  the  Jaredites. 
The  commanders  of  the  contending  armies  the 
Coriantumr  and  Lib.  After  a  victory  by  were 
latter,  in  the  wilderness  of  Akish,  he  pursued  Cori- 
antumr as  far  as  the  plains  of  Agosh,  when  an- 
other battle  was  fought  in  which  Coriantumr  was 
vidlorious  and  Lib  was  slain.  Shiz,  the  brother  of 
Lib,  assumed  command  in  the  place  of  his  brother 
and  attacked  and  defeated  Coriantumr.  Prob- 
bably  about  B.  C.  600;  but  this  is  onlyconjedlural. 

AHA.  A  Nephite  military  officer  of  the  days 
of  the  republic.  He  was  the  son  of  Zoram  and 
brother  of  Lehi.  He  accompanied  his  father  and 
brother  when  they  went  to  Alma,  the  younger,  to 
inquire  the  will  of  the  Lord  with  regard  to  what 
course  the  Nephite  army  should  take  in  the  pursuit 
of  the  Lamanites  who  had  destroyed  the  city  oi 
Amtnonihah  (B.  C.  81).  Having  received  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  Zoram  and  his  two  sons  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  it  out.  They  followed  and  over- 
took the  Lamanites  in  the  great  wilderness  south 
of  Manti  and  east  of  the  upper  waters  of  the 
river  Sidon.  Here  a  severe  battle  took  place,  which 
ended  in  the  Lamanite  forces  being  scattered  and 
driven  into  the  wilderness ;  while  all  the  Nephite 


Ahah.  13  Akish. 

captives  were  delivered  and  taken  back  to    their 
own  lands. 

AHAH.  A  wicked  king  of  the  Jaredites,  who 
reigned  in  the  latter  days  of  that  nation.  His 
father's  name  was  Seth.  Seth,  owing  to  internal 
commotions,  was  brought  into  captivitj^  and  thus 
remained  all  his  life.  But  Ahah  obtained  the  king- 
dom, and  reigned  over  the  people  until  his  death. 
He  did  all  manner  of  iniquity  by  which  he  caused 
the  shedding  of  much  blood,  but  providentially  his 
reign  was  a  short  one.  He  was  succeeded  on  the 
throne  by  his  son  Etham. 

AHAZ.  The  eleventh  king  of  Judah.  Hisname 
only  appears  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  quota- 
tions from  7th  and  14th  chapters  of  Isaiah.  (II 
Nephi,  chap.  17  and  24).      nu 

AIATH.  A  place  named  by  Isaiah  (10:28), 
and  quoted  in  II  Nephi,  20:28.  Possibly  another 
name  for  Ai. 

AKISH.  One  of  the  most  subtle  and  cruel  of 
the  early  Jaredites.  Nothing  more  is  known  of 
his  descent  than  that  he  was  the  son  of  Kimnor. 
The  history  of  Akish  is  one  with  which  are 
associated  deeds  of  cruelty,  treachery  and  iniquity 
that  are  scarcely  paralleled  in  the  annals  of  any 
nation.  When  the  Jaredites  first  reached  this  con- 
tinent they  were  a  righteous,  God-fearing,  though 
somewhat  unstable  people.  They,  however,  made 
one  great  mistake,  they  desired  to  be  ruled  by  a 
king.  Their  prophet-leaders  told  them  that  this 
thing  would  lead  to  captivity,  but  they  insisted, 
and  Orihah,the  youngest  son  of  Jared,  was  chosen 
as  their  first  monarch.  The  words  of  their 
prophets  were  quickly  fulfilled,  and  bloodshed  and 
internal  commotions  soon  disgraced  the  historj^  of 
this  favored  people.  Oribah  was  succeeded  by 
Kib,  who  was  dethroned  by  Corihor,  but  after- 
wards restored.  In  the  succeeding  reign,  that  of 
Shule,  the  kingdom  was  rent  in  twain,  but  when 
he    died     he    was    succeeded  by   his    son    Omer, 


Akish.  14 

who,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  was  a  good  man. 
The  example  of  the  kings  and  princes  had  thus  far, 
as  a  rule,  been  pernicious,  and  tended  to  encourage 
the  people  in  lives  of  wickedness, 

Omer  had  a  son  named/arec/,  an  ambitious,  un- 
scrupulous man.  He  rebelled  against  his  father  and 
by  his  flatteries  induced  half  the  people  to  join  his 
standard.  He  established  himself  in  a  land  named 
Heth,  and  when  he  felt  sufiiciently  strong  he  gave 
battle  to  and  defeated  the  forces  of  his  father, 
whom  he  took  prisoner  and  held  in  captivity  ;  and, 
it  is  said,  Omer  remained  in  this  condition  half  his 
days.  So  long,  indeed,  was  the  time  that  Jared 
kept  him  prisoner  that  sons  begotten  by  him  dur- 
ing his  captivity  grew^  up  to  manhood  before  he 
was  released.  Two  of  these  young  men,  named 
Esrom  and  Coriantumr,  became  very  angry  at  the 
way  their  father  was  treated,  and  they  raised  an 
army  and  attacked  their  brother  Jared  b3^  night. 
This  attack  appears  to  have  been  an  utter  surprise 
to  Jared,  for  his  army  was  entirely  destroyed,  and 
he  himself  would  have  been  slain  had  he  not 
humbly  pleaded  with  his  brothers  that  his  life  might 
be  spared,  he  promising  that  he  would  surrender 
the  kingdom  to  his  father.  On  this  condition  his 
life  was  granted  him. 

Now  Jared,  though  he  had  made  this  promise 
when  his  life  was  in  peril,  still  longed  for  the 
glories  and  power  of  the  kingly  authority;  and 
his  sorrow  and  unrest  could  not  be  hid  from 
those  near  him.  Among  those  who  noticed  his 
deep-seated  grief  was  a  daughter,  who,  was  exceed- 
ing fair,  and  was  apparently  as  unscrupulous  as  her 
father.  Whether  it  was  because  she  really  had 
affection  for  her  father,  or,  like  him,  languished 
for  the  pomp  and  magnificence  of  the  court  life 
she  no  longer  possessed  that  caused  her  to  submit 
to  him  a  plan  by  which  he  might  regain  the  king- 
dom, cannot  be  told ;  perhaps,  also,  she  loved  the 
man  whom  she  suggested  as  the  instrument  to  be 


15  Akish. 

used  in  the  fulfillment  of  her  ambition — possibly  all 
three,  for  our  motives  are  seldom  single;  our 
actions,  in  other  words,  are  generally  the  result  of 
a  combination  of  motives. 

The  young  lady's  plan  was  this:  She  reminded 
her  father  that  when  their  ancestors  came  across 
the  great  waters  they  brought  with  them  records 
of  the  doings  of  mankind  in  the  ages  before  the 
flood.  And  in  those  records  was  an  account  of 
how  men  by  secret  plans  and  combinations  ob- 
tained kingdoms  and  great  glory,  She  suggested 
that  her  father  acquire  a  knowledge  of  these  un- 
holy methods  and  use  them  to  regain  the 
throne.  She  further  proposed  that  he  send  for  a 
friend  of  Omer's  named  Akish,  the  son  of  Kimnor, 
and  she,  being  graceful  as  well  as  beautiful,  would 
dance  so  entrancingly  before  him  that  he  would 
desire  her  to  wife.  If  she  did  not  love  Akish,  she 
simply  sold  herself  to  gratify  her  father's  and 
possibly  her  own  ambition. 

Her  advice  was  listened  to,  her  suggestions 
carried  out.  The  old  oaths  and  bloody  mysteries 
were  searched  out,  the  plan  laid,  Akish  invited, 
the  suggestive  dance  danced,  Akish's  passions  in- 
flamed and  the  maiden  asked  in  marriage.  The 
proposal  was  received  with  favor,  but  terrible 
conditions  were  attached,  such  that  would  have 
appalled  any  honorable  man.  It  was  that  Akish 
should  obtain  for  Jared  the  head  of  his  father,  the 
king,  and  to  enable  him  to  carry  out  this  murder- 
ous design  Jared  proposed  that  he  administer  to 
his  friends  the  old  oaths  that  had  come  down 
from  the  days  of  Cain,  the  first  murderer. 

Akish  accepted  this  terrible  responsibility.  He 
gathered  his  associates  at  the  house  of  Jared 
and  there  made  them  all  swear  by  the  God  of 
heaven,  and  by  the  heavens,  by  the  earth  and  by 
their  heads,  that  whoso  should  vary  from 
what  he  desired  should  lose  his  head,  and 
whoso      should      divulge     whatever     he     made 


Akish.  16 

known  should  lose  his  life.  He  then  submitted 
his  plans  to  them,  which  they  accepted. 
The  plot  was  so  far  successful  that  they  over- 
threw the  kingdom  of  Omer,  but  did  not  succeed 
in  obtaining  his  head.  For  the  Lord  was  merciful 
to  Omer  and  warned  him  to  depart  out  of  the  land. 
So  taking  those  of  his  family  who  were  faithful  to 
him  he  traveled  for  a  great  distance  until  he 
reached  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  There 
he  and  his  companions  tarried  until  the  course  of 
events  permitted  him  to  return. 

Omer  being  driven  from  his  kingdom,  Jared 
was  anointed  king,  and  his  daughter  was  given 
to  Akish  to  wife.  But  this  did  not  satisfy  Akish  ; 
he  had  learned  the  power  of  these  secret  combina- 
tions, and  now  determined  to  use  them  for  his 
own  ends.  He  aspired  to  the  throne,  and  made 
up  his  mind  to  murder  his  father-in-law.  So  he 
assembled  his  followers,  instntdled  them  in  his 
wishes,  and  Jared  was  slain  by  them  as  he  sat  on 
his  throne  giving  audience  to  the  people ;  a  case  of 
poetical  retribution  which,  though  often  found  in 
fiction,  is  seldom  met  with  in  real  life.  Akish 
was  now  made  king,  and  under  his  cruel  rule 
wickedness  became  almost  universal;  the  secret 
societies  by  which  he  obtained  power  had  cor- 
rupted the  hearts  of  all  the  people.  As  may  be 
well  supposed,  with  such  a  condition  of  society  his 
throne  was  not  a  stable  one.  He  became  jealous 
of  one  of  his  sons.  What  cause,  if  any,  he  had 
therefor,  we  are  not  told,  but  he  shut  him  up  in 
prison  and  slowly  starved  him  to  death.  This 
cruel  ac?t  greatly  incensed  another  of  Jared's  sons, 
named  Nimrah,  and  he,  gathering  a  few  followers, 
fled  to  the  land  where  Omer  dwelt. 

Now  Akish  had  other  sons,  and  though  they 
had  sworn  to  support  him  in  all  his  doings,  they 
were  not  true  to  their  oaths.  They  found  that 
the  hearts  of  thejaredites  were  consumed  with  the 
love  of  gain,  and  they  bribed  the  greater  portion 


Akish,  Wilderness  of.    17       Alma,  the  elder. 

of  the  people  to  join  them  in  a  revolt  against 
their  father.  So  corrupt  had  the  people  now  be- 
come that  their  extinction  appears  to  have  been 
the  onlv  remedy  ;  they  were  past  repentance. 

A  war  of  the  most  horrible  character  broke 
out,  w^hich  lasted  several  years,  and  only  ended 
when,  nearly  every  soul  was  slain.  Of  the  kingdom 
of  Akish,  for  which  he  had  sinned  so  much,  there 
remained  but  thirty  souls,  all  therest — men,w^omen 
and  children — had  been  swept  by  bloody  hands  into 
untimely  graves.  The  people  of  Akish  having 
been  thus  destroyed,  Omer,  with  his  friends,  re- 
turned from  his  captivity,  and  reigned  over  the 
feeble  remnant  of  a  wasted  people. 

AKISH,  WILDERNESS  OF.  A  place  in 
North  America,  apparently  not  far  from  the 
Atlantic  coast.  Here  a  severe  battle  was  fought 
in  the  last  great  war  which  ended  in  the  extindlion 
of  the  Jaredite  race.  The  conflidl  was  between  the 
armies  of  Gilead  and  Coriantumr  in  which  many 
thousands  were  slain.  It  appears  to  have  been 
indecisive,  as  Gilead  remained  in  the  wilderness  and 
Coriantumr  lay  siege  thereto.  But  one  night 
Gilead  unexpecftedly  sallied  forth  and  slew  a  part 
of  the  army  of  his  enemy,  they  being  drunken. 
This,  for  the  time  being,  gave  him  the  advantage. 
In  a  later  campaign,  after  Gilead  had  been  assas- 
sinated, a  battle  was  fought  between  Coriantumr 
and  Lib  in  which  the  latter  was  vidlorious,  and 
the  former  fled  to  the  wilderness  of  Akish,  but 
being  pursued  by  Lib,  he  continued  his  retreat  to 
the  plains  of  Agosh  where  another  desperate  con- 
flidl  occurred. 

ALMA,  the  elder,  was  an  Israelite  of  the 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  a  diredl  descendant  of  Nephi, 
the  son  of  Lehi.  He  was  born  in  the  land  of  Lehi- 
Nephi,  or  a  region  contiguous,  173  years  before  the 
advent  of  the  Redeemer,  when  Zeniff  was  king  in 
that  portion  of  the  South  American  Continent. 
He  is  first  introduced  Lo  the  readers  of  the  Book 


Alma,  the  elder.  18 

of  Mormon  shortly  before  the  martyrdom  of  the 
prophet  Abmadi,  as  a  young  man  associated  with 
the  apostate  and  iniquitous  priesthood  of  king 
Noah,  the  son  of  Zeniff.  Unlike  his  soul-seared  as- 
sociates, his  heart  was  pricked  by  the  warnings  and 
teachings  of  Abinadi,  for  he  knew  that  his  denuncia- 
tions of  the  prevailing  wickedness  were  true.  In- 
spired with  this  knowdedge,  he  very  courageously 
went  to  the  tyrant  Noah,  and  pleaded  for  the  pro- 
phet's life.  His  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  devoted 
servant  of  the  Lord  was  ineffedlual;  the  infuriated 
and  besotted  king  would  not  hearken  to  Alma's 
appeal  for  justice  and  mercy,  but  to  the  contrary, 
he  ordered  the  young  priest  to  be  cast  out  from 
the  midst  of  the  people,  and  when  Alma  fled  from 
his  anger,  he  sent  his  servants  to  slay  him. 
Alma,  however,  successfully  hid  from  his  pursuers, 
and,  during  his  concealment,  wrote  the  words  he 
had  heard  Abinadi  speak,  which  teachings  now 
form  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  dodlrinal 
portions  of  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

The  power,  the  importance,  the  efficiency  of 
Abinadi's  teachings  had  sunk  deep  in  the  heart  of 
Alma;  he  not  only  realized  their  truth,  but  he 
comprehended  their  saving  value.  The  first  lesson 
they  impressed  upon  his  mind  was  the  necessity  of 
his  immediate  and  thorough  repentance,  combined 
with  unfaltering  faith  in  the  Savior,  who  was  to 
come  to  redeem  mankind.  In  much  tribulation  he 
sought  the  Lord  with  all  his  powers  and  the  Great 
Father  vouchsafed  to  him  an  abundant,  soul-satis- 
fying answer.  From  this  time  Alma  began  to 
preach  privately  to  the  people  the  w^ords  of  Gospel 
truth.  To  do  this  he  received  power  from  on  high. 
We  have  no  account  of  the  time  of  his  ordination, 
w^hetherwhen  a  lad  he  had  received  the  holy  priest- 
hood under  the  hands  of  some  one  of  God's  serv- 
ants, before  the  days  that  Noah  led  his  people  in- 
to iniquity  and  corrupted  the  priesthood,  or, 
whether  at  this    time  he  was    ministered  to  bv 


19  Alma,  the  elder. 

messengers  from  Heaven.  Perhaps  both;  but 
the  time  and  place  is  but  a  secondary  consideration, 
the  important  fadl  remains,  that  he  was  commis- 
sioned by  God  to  officiate  in  His  name,  which 
commission  he  ever  after  magnified  to  the  salva- 
tion of  his  fellow-men.  Alma's  preaching  of  God's 
holy  word  was  not  without  fruit.  Many  received 
the  truth  with  joy.  These  gathered  to  a  con- 
venient spot  on  the  borders  of  the  wilderness,  but 
not  far  from  their  city.  This  place  was  called 
Mormon.  It  was  admirably  suited  for  a  hiding 
place,  having  formerly  been  infested  by  ravenous 
beasts,  and  was  dreaded  and  avoided  by  the  peo- 
ple. Near  by  was  a  thicket  of  small  trees,  in  which 
the  Gospel  believers  could  hide  should  they  be  pur- 
sued by  the  king's  servants;  here  also  was  a 
fountain  of  pure  water,  most  excellently  adapted 
for  the  purposes  of  baptism.  Here,  in  the  midst 
of  the  luxuriance  of  tropical  vegetation,  and  by 
the  side  of  the  inviting  stream,  did  Alma  proclaim 
the  principles  of  everlasting  life;  here  the  people 
entered  into  covenant  to  serve  the  Great  Father 
of  all ;  here  were  the  repentant  believers  baptized 
unto  Christ, for  theremission  of  sins,  and  here  was 
the  Church  of  the  First  Born  organized,  the  holy 
priesthood  ordained,  and  the  work  of  God  founded 
in  power. 

Alma  and  another  servant  of  the  Lord,  named 
Helam,  w^ere  the  first  to  enter  the  water,  and  when 
there.  Alma  lifted  his  voice  in  prayer  and  besought 
the  Lord  for  His  Holy  Spirit.  This  blessing  having 
been  bestowed,  he  proceeded  with  the  sacred  ordi- 
nance. Addressinghiscompanion,he  said,  "Helam, 
I  baptize  thee,  having  authority  from  the  Almighty 
God,  as  a  testimony  that  ye  have  entered  into  a 
covenant  to  serve  Him  until  you  are  dead  as  to 
the  mortal  body ;  and  may  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
be  poured  out  upon  you ;  and  may  He  grant  unto 
you  eternal  life,  through  the  redemption  of  Christ 
whom  He  has  prepared  from  the  foundation  of  the 


Alma,  the  elder.  20 

world."  Alma  having  said  these  words,  both  he 
and  Helam  were  buried  in  the  water,  w^hence  they 
came  forth  rejoicing,  being  filled  with  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Others,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred 
and  four  souls,  followed  Helam  into  the  waters  of 
baptism,  but  in  all  these  cases  Alma  did  not  again 
bury  himself  beneath  the  liquid  wave,  but  only 
the  repentant  believers.  From  this  time  we  may 
date  the  organization  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  that  land,  and  henceforth  its  members 
assembled  for  worship  and  testimony  once  a 
week. 

Notwithstanding  the  care  and  circumspedlion 
with  which  the  members  of  the  Church  adled, 
Noah  soon  discovered  that  there  was  some  secret 
movement  among  his  subjects,  and  by  the  help 
of  his  spies  he  discovered  what  was  taking  place 
at  Mormon.  Making  the  tyrant's  usual  excuse, 
that  the  Christians  were  in  rebellion  against  him, 
he  sent  his  armies  to  capture  and  destroy  them. 
But  a  greater  than  he  stretched  forth  His  arm  to 
preserve  His  people.  The  Lord  warned  Alma  of 
the  king's  intentions,  and  in  obedience  to  the  Divine 
diredlion,  he  assembled  his  people,  some  450  souls, 
gathered  his  flocks  and  herds,  loaded  up  his  grain, 
provisions  and  other  supplies,  and  departed  into 
the  untrodden  wilderness. 

Being  strengthened  by  the  Lord,  notwith- 
standing that  they  were  impeded  by  their  flocks 
and  families,  the  pilgrims  traveled  with  suffi- 
cient rapidity  to  escape  the  pursuing  forces  of 
king  Noah,  who  were  reludlantly  compelled  to 
return  to  the  land  of  Nephi  without  having  ac- 
complished the  obje(?t  of  the  expedition.  At  the 
end  of  eight  days  Alma's  company  ceased  their 
flight,  and  settled  in  a  very  beautiful  and  pleasant 
land  where  there  was  an  abundant  supply  of  pure 
water.  We  have  no  direct  information  with 
regard  to  the  course  taken  by  this  colony,  but  it  is 
evident,  from  the    details    of  their  later  history, 


21  Alma,  the  elder. 

that  the  new  settlement  lay  somewhere  beween 
the  lands  of  Nephi  and  Zarahemla,  though  pos- 
sibly somewhat  aside  from  the  most  diredl  route. 
We  think  it  far  from  improbable  that  it  was 
situated  at  the  head  waters  of  some  one  of  the 
numerous  tributaries  to  the  Amazon  that  take 
their  rise  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Andes, 

The  colonists,  whose  industry  is  especially  re- 
ferred to  by  the  inspired  historian,  immediately 
set  to  work  to  till  the  soil  and  build  a  city.  The 
city,  with  the  surrounding  territory,  they  named 
the  cit3"  and  land  of  Helam.  Now  that  they  were 
established  as  a  separate  people,  independent  of 
both  Lamanite  and  Nephite  princes,  they  desired  a 
form  of  temporal  government  with  Alma  as  their 
king.  This  honor  he  declined.  He  rehearsed  to 
them  the  history  of  their  fathers;  he  pidlured  to 
them  the  infamies  of  king  Noah's  reign  ;  he  showed 
them  how  a  wicked  ruler  could  lead  his  subjedls 
into  all  manner  of  evil,  and  how^  such  things  led 
to  bondage;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  how  much 
better  it  was  to  have  the  Lord  as  their  King  and 
Ruler,  and  to  be  guided  by  His  servants  under  His 
inspiration.  This  counsel  the  people  wisely  ac- 
cepted. Alma,  though  not  bearing  the  title  of 
king,  adled  as  their  leader,  as  their  high  priest  and 
prophet,  and  as  the  mouthpiece  of  God  to  them 
whenever  His  holy  word  was  graciously  given 
them.  In  this  happy  state  the  people  of  Helam 
continued  for  some  years,  the  Lord  greatly  pros- 
pering them  and  crowning  their  labors  with  abun- 
dant increase. 

How  long  these  blissful  days  lasted  is  not  de- 
fined in  the  sacred  record  of  the  Book  of  Mormon; 
but  as  the  Lord  chastens  those  whom  He  loves,  so, 
after  a  time.  He  permitted  the  Lamanites  to  dis- 
cover their  secluded  and  happy  home,  and  to  bring 
them  into  bondage. 

It  so  happened  that  a  Lamanite  army  corps 
(that  had  been  pursuing  a  body  of  fugitive  Ne- 


Alma,  the  elder.  22 

phites  under  Limhi,  the  son  of  Noah,  who  had 
broken  away  from  their  bondage  in  the  land  of 
Nephi,)  lost  themselves  in  the  wilderness.  While 
traveling  hither  and  thither,  not  knowing  which 
way  to  go,  they  came  across  a  body  of  men  who 
had  once  been  the  priests  of  king  Noah,  but  who 
had  fled  from  the  face  of  their  fellows  to  escape  the 
just  indignation  their  continued  iniquities  had 
aroused.  These  priests,  at  the  instigation  of 
Amulon,  their  leader,  joined  the  Lamanite  troops, 
and  unitedly  endeavored  to  get  back  to  the  land 
of  Nephi.  While  thus  engaged,  they  wandered 
near  the  city  of  Helam. 

When  the  people  of  Alma  first  preceived  the 
approach  of  this  body  of  men,  they  were  occupied 
in  tilling  the  soil  around  their  city,  into  which  they 
immediately  fled  in  great  fear.  In  this  perilous 
hour  the  faith  and  courage  of  Alma  v^ere  con- 
spicuous. He  gathered  his  people  around  him, 
called  upon  them  to  cast  aside  their  unsaintly 
fears,  and  to  remember  the  God  who  had  ever 
delivered  those  who  trusted  in  Him.  The  words 
of  their  leader  had  the  desired  effedl ;  the  people 
silenced  their  fears  and  called  mightily  upon  the 
Lord  to  soften  the  hearts  of  the  Lamanites  that 
they  might  spare  their  lives  and  those  of  their 
wives  and  little  ones.  Then,  with  the  assurance 
in  their  hearts  that  God  would  hearken  unto  their 
prayers.  Alma  and  his  brethren  went  forth  out 
of  their  city  and  delivered  themselves  up  to  their 
former  foes. 

The  Lamanites  were  in  a  dilemma,  therefore 
they  were  profuse  in  promises.  They  were  willing 
to  grant  the  people  of  Helam  their  lives  and  liberty 
if  they  would  show  them  the  way  to  the  land 
of  Nephi.  Having  obtained  this  information  and 
reached  home  in  safety,  they  broke  their  promises 
and  made  Amulon  king  over  a  wide  distridl 
of  country,  including  the  land  of  Helam. 

Alma   and  Amulon  had  known  each  other  in 


23  Alma,  the  elder. 

the  days  when  they  both  belonged  to  king  Noah's 
priesthood,  and  with  the  venom  so  often  con- 
spicuous in  apostates,  the  latter  soon  commenced 
to  persecute  those  who  were  faithful  to  the  Lord. 
He  placed  task-masters  over  them,  he  imposed  in- 
human burdens  upon  them,  and  otherwise  afflic?ted 
them  grievously. 

In  their  afflidlion  the  people  of  Alma  cried 
unremittingly  to  Heaven  for  deliverance,  but  even 
their  prayers  were  an  annoyance  to  their  task- 
masters, and  they  were  forbidden  to  lift  up  their 
voices  in  supplication  to  the  Lord ;  but  the  ty- 
rants could  not  prevent  them  from  pouring  out 
their  hearts  to  Him  who  knoweth  the  inmost 
thoughts  of  all  men.  He  answered  in  His  own 
way;  He  did  not  bring  them  immediate  deliver- 
ance, but  He  strengthened  their  backs  to  bear  the 
heavy  burdens  placed  upon  them,  and,  strong  in 
the  faith  of  their  ultimate  release  from  this  bond- 
age, they  toiled  on  with  cheerfulness  and  patience. 

In  His  due  time  the  Lord  delivered  them.  Hav- 
ing revealed  His  intentions  to  Alma,  that  the  peo- 
ple might  make  ready,  He  caused  a  deep  sleep  to 
come  upon  the  Lamanite guards  and  task-masters. 
The  hour  to  strike  for  libertj^  had  arrived,  but  it 
was  obtained  at  a  heavy  cost,  that  of  their  homes 
and  possessions.  Under  the  guidance  of  Alma 
they  departed  into  the  wilderness  At  eventide 
they  rested  in  a  beautiful  valley  which  they  called 
Alma;  but  they  did  not  tarry  there.  The  next  day 
they  pushed  farther  into  the  wilderness,  and  con- 
tinued their  journey  until  they  arrived  at  the  land 
of  Zarahemla,  which  they  reached  in  twelve  days' 
travel  from  the  valley  of  Alma.  Their  arrival 
amongst  their  Nephite  kindred  was  the  occasion 
of  great  joy  both  to  them  and  to  the  people  of 
king  Mosiah,  which  io\^  was  intensified  by  the 
fadl  that  Limhi  and  his  subjects  had  also  arrived 
in  safety  at  the  home  of  their  forefathers  a  short 
time    previously,   thus    uniting    all    the    Nephite 


Alma,  the  elder.  24 

people  (except  the  few  apostates  with  Amulon) 
in  one  land  and  under  one  king. 

Alma  and  his  people  must  have  dwelt  in  the 
land  of  Helam  quite  a  number  of  years,  as  he  is 
called  a  young  man  at  the  time  of  Abinadi's 
martyrdom,  and  at  the  time  he  led  his  people  into 
the  land  of  Zarahemla  he  was  more  than  fifty 
years  old,  possibly  several  years  older. 

On  the  arrival  of  Alma  in  the  land  of  Zara- 
hemla,  king  Mosiah  gave  him  charge  of  the 
spiritual  concerns  of  the  Nephites.  He  became 
the  high  priest  to  the  whole  nation.  In  this 
capacity  he  gathered  the  people  together,  and  in 
words  of  power  and  plainness  he  reminded  them 
of  their  duties  to  Heaven.  Nor  had  he  unwilling 
hearers;  numbers  hearkened  to  his  words,  renewed 
their  covenants  with  God,  went  down  into  the 
waters  of  baptism,  and  recommenced  a  life  of  godli- 
ness and  faith.  From  place  to  place  Alma  bent  his 
way,  preaching,  counseling,  reproving,  comforting, 
instrudling,  as  the  Holy  Spirit  led.  Through  these 
labors  seven  churches,  or  rather  seven  branches  of 
the  Church,  were  established  in  the  land  of  Zara- 
hemla,  while  great  prosperity  attended  the  faith- 
ful. As  years  rolled  by,  the  hearts  of  those  who 
loved  the  Lord  were  pained  by  the  unbelief  and 
wickedness  of  the  rising  generation.  Many  of 
these  not  only  rejedled  the  truth  themselves,  but 
persecuted  and  reviled  those  who  were  righteous. 
This  unholy  crusade  received  great  strength  and 
assumed  great  effrontery  owing  to  the  fadl  that 
the  four  sons  of  king  Mosiah,  and  the  son  of  the 
high  priest  Alma,  were  their  ringleaders.  Vain  were 
the  exhortations  of  these  holy  men  to  their  way- 
ward sons;  they  rebelled  against  their  fathers' 
admonitions,  and  set  their  authority  at  defiance. 
Great  was  Alma's  grief.  The  Lord  of  Hosts  was 
his  only  resource.  In  much  sorrow,  but  with 
much  faith,  he  earnestly  and  unceasingly  prayed 
for  his  loved  but  rebellious  son.    The  Lord  heard 


Alma,  the  elder.  25     Alma,  the  younger. 

His  faithful  servant's  petitions,  sent  His  angel  to 
stay  the  young  man's  mad  career  and  bring  him 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  There,  overpowered 
by  the  presence  and  message  of  the  angel,  he  was 
struck  dumb  and  paralyzed.  When  the  new^s  of 
this  visitation  reached  his  father,  he  was  greatly 
rejoiced,  for  he  knew  it  was  the  power  of  God. 
He  gathered  his  people  to  witness  the  miracle,  and 
assembled  the  priests  that  they  might  join  him  in 
prayer  and  fasting  for  his  son's  perfect  restora- 
tion. Their  prayers  w^ere  heard;  not  only  were 
the  natural  powers  of  the  body  restored,  but  Alma 
became  a  changed  man,  and  from  thenceforth  was 
a  valiant  soldier  of  the  cross — a  help,  a  comfort, 
and  a  joy  to  his  father,  who  was  now  beginning 
to  feel  the  effe(fhs  of  advancing  years. 

Before  his  death,  Alma,  who  had  ordained  his 
son  a  high  priest,  gave  the  latter  charge  concern- 
ing all  the  aifairs  of  the  Church,  and  then,  full 
of  years  and  honor  he  departed  this  life.  His 
death  took  place  (B.  C.  91)  when  he  was  eighty- 
two  years  old,  five  hundred  and  nine  years  hav- 
ing passed  from  the  time  Lehi  and  his  family  left 
Jerusalem. 

ALMA,  the  younger,  was  born  either  in 
the  land  of  Mormon,  when  his  devout  and  intrepid 
father  was  there  organizing  the  Church  of  Christ, 
or  after  the  little  colony  of  Christians  had  re- 
moved to  the  land  of  Helam.  From  a  casual 
observation  made  in  one  of  his  discourses,  we  are 
inclined  to  think  it  was  in  the  latter  place.  With 
his  father  he  came  to  the  land  of  Zarahemla,  and 
there,  as  the  son  of  the  presiding  high  priest  of  the 
entire  Church,  he  became  the  associate  and  com- 
panion of  the  sons  of  the  king.  Their  course  was 
one  too  often  pursued  by  the  children  of  the  great. 
They  took  pleasure  in  evil-doing;  they  had  no 
faith  in  the  revelations  of  God,  while  they  ridiculed, 
mocked  and  persecuted  those  who  had.  We  can 
well    understand    the    anxiety,   the    distress,   the 


Alma,  the  younger.       26 

sorrow  this  course  caused  their  God-fearing 
parents;  we  can  realize  how  frequent  and  how 
fervent  were  the  prayers  offered  by  the  king,  the 
high  priest,  and  the  people  for  those  misguided 
3'ouths.    And  their  prayers  prevailed  before  God. 

It  came  to  pass  that  as  Alma  and  the  sons  of 
king  Mosiah  were  going  about  to  destroy  the 
Church  and  to  lead  astray  the  people  of  the  Lord, 
that  an  angel  descended  in  a  cloud  and  stopped 
them  on  the  waj'.  When  he  spoke  his  voice  was  as 
thunder,  and  caused  the  whole  earth  to  tremble 
beneath  their  feet.  Naturally  this  manifestation 
of  the  power  of  God  spread  terror  and  dismay  in 
the  hearts  of  those  who  witnessed  it;  simulta- 
neously they  fell  to  the  ground,  and  so  confused 
and  terrified  were  they,  that  they  failed  to  under- 
stand the  words  of  the  holy  messenger.  ''Arise, 
Alma,  and  stand  forth,"  he  cried;  and  when  Alma 
arose,  his  eyes  were  open  to  see  v^ho  stood  before 
him.  ''Why  persecutes t  thou  the  Church  of  God?" 
he  was  asked,  "for  the  Lord  hath  said.  This  is  my 
Church,  and  I  will  establish  it;  and  nothing  shall 
overthrow  it,  save  it  is  the  transgression  of  my 
people.  If  thou  wilt  of  thyself  be  destroyed,  seek 
no  more  to  destroy  the  Church  of  God."  Besides 
this,  the  angel  spoke  to  him  of  his  father's  fervent 
prayers  in  his  behalf,  and  that  because  of  those 
prayers  of  faith  he  was  sent  to  convince  him  of 
the  power  of  God.  He  also  recounted  to  him  the 
captivity  of  his  fathers  in  the  lands  of  Helam  and 
Nephi,  and  of  their  miraculous  deliverance  there- 
from, but  Alma  heard  none  of  these  latter  sayings, 
for  the  terrors  of  the  first  salutation  had  over- 
powered him. 

Alma,  bereft  of  the  presence  of  the  angel,  dis- 
mayed and  soul-stricken,  sank  to  the  ground. 
When  his  companions  gathered  around  him,  they 
found  he  could  not  move,  neither  could  bespeak; 
outwardly  he  was  dead  to  the  world ;  but  the 
torments  of  the  damned  had  taken  hold  of  his 


27       Alma,  the  younger. 

soul,  and  in  the  most  bitter  pain  and  mental  an- 
guish he  laj^  racked  with  the  remembrance  of  all 
his  past  sins.  The  thought  of  standing  before  the 
bar  of  God  to  be  judged  for  his  iniquities  over- 
whelmed him  with  horror;  he  would  have  re- 
joiced in  annihilation;  he  desired  to  become  ex- 
tindl,  both  bod^^  and  soul,  without  being  brought 
before  his  abused  Creator.  Thus  he  continued  for 
three  days  and  three  nights  to  suffer  the  pains  of 
hell,  which  to  his  tortured  conscience  must  have 
seemed  an  eternity. 

When  his  companions  found  that  he  could 
neither  speak  nor  move,  they  carried  him  to  his 
father,  and  related  to  him  all  that  had  happened. 
Strange  as  it  must  have  seemed  to  them,  the  elder 
Alma's  heart  was  filled  with  jo3^  and  praise  when 
he  looked  upon  the  body  of  his  much-loved  son, 
for  he  realized  it  was  God's  power  that  had 
wrought  all  this,  and  that  his  long-continued 
prayers  had  been  answered.  In  his  joy  he 
gathered  the  people  to  witness  this  mighty  mani- 
festation of  the  goodness  and  might  of  Jehovah. 
He  assembled  the  priests,  sought  their  co-opera- 
tion, and  unitedly,  in  God's  own  way,  they 
prayed  and  fasted  for  the  stricken  3'outh.  For 
two  daj^s  they  continued  their  supplications,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  Alma  stood  upon  his  feet 
and  spoke.  He  comforted  them  by  declaring,  "I 
have  repented  of  my  sins,  and  have  been  redeemed 
of  the  Lord ;  behold  I  am  born  of  the  Spirit." 

In  later  years  Alma,  in  relating  to  his  son 
Helaman  the  details  of  his  conversion,  thus  des- 
cribes the  causes  that  led  him  to  bear  this  testi- 
mony. He  says:  "Behold,  I  remembered  also  to 
have  heard  my  father  prophesy  unto  the  people 
concerning  the  coming  of  one  Jesus  Christ,  a  Son 
of  God,  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  Now, 
as  my  mind  caught  hold  upon  this  thought,  I 
cried  within  my  heart,  O  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  God, 
have  mercy  on  me,  who  art  in  the  gall  of  bitter- 


Alma,  the  younger.     28 

ness,  and  art  encircled  about  by  the  everlasting 
chains  of  death.  And  now,  behold,  when  I 
thought  this,  I  could  remember  my  pains  no  more; 
yea,  I  was  harrowed  up  by  the  memory  of  my 
sins  no  more.  And  oh,  what  joy,  and  what  mar- 
velous light  I  did  behold ;  yea,  my  soul  was  filled 
v^ith  joy  as  exceeding  as  w^as  my  pain:  yea,  I  say 
unto  you,  my  son,  there  could  be  nothing  so  ex- 
quisite and  so  bitter  as  my  pain.  Yea,  and  again 
I  say  unto  you,  my  son,  that  on  the  other  hand, 
there  can  be  nothing  so  exquisite  and  sweet  as 
was  my  joy;  yea,  methought  I  saw,  even  as  our 
father  Lehi  saw,  God  sitting  upon  his  throne, 
surrounded  with  numberless  concourses  of  angels, 
in  the  attitude  of  singing  and  praising  their  God  ; 
yea,  and  my  soul  did  long  to  be  there." 

From  that  time  to  the  end  of  his  mortal  career, 
Alma  labored  without  ceasing  to  bring  souls  to 
Christ,  and  to  guide  his  fellow  men  in  the  paths  of 
salvation. 

We  have  now  to  present  Alma  as  the  fore- 
most man  of  his  age  and  nation,  the  presiding 
high  priest  and  chief  judge  of  a  mighty  peo- 
ple ;  a  great  prophet,  filled  with  the  spirit  of  his 
calling;  an  unceasing  missionary,  an  undaunted 
soldier  of  the  cross,  a  lucid  expounder  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  everlasting  Gospel;  a  proficient  or- 
ganizer of  men,  a  distinguished  warrior  and  a  tri- 
umphant general.  While  in  his  conversion,  ex- 
tended missionary  journeyings,  and  elaborate  dis- 
courses on  saving  truths,  we  are  reminded  of  Saul 
of  Tarsus,  recolledlions  of  Joshua,  the  son  of 
Nun,  are  vividly  brought  before  us  when  we  con- 
sider him  as  the  great  leader  and  prophet  of  his 
people,  and  the  vidlorious  commander-in-chief  of 
their  armies. 

The  change  in  the  life  of  Alma  brought  down 
upon  him  the  persecutions  of  the  wicked,  for 
others  treated  him  as  he  before-time  had  treated 
the  Saints.     But  in  none  of  these  things  was  he 


29       Alma,  the  younger. 

daunted  or  dismayed,  for  he  had  joy  in  preaching 
the  word,  and  in  the  conversion  of  many  from 
their  ungodliness.  So  conspicuous  as  a  champion 
of  the  cause  of  God  did  he  become,  that  Mosiah 
considered  him  the  most  proper  pers(jn  to  whom 
to  confide  the  custody  of  the  sacred  plates,  and  to 
acftas  the  recorder  of  the  nation's  doings  and  prog- 
ress ;  still  more,  when  Aaron,  the  son  of  Mosiah, 
declined  to  succeed  his  father  on  the  Nephite 
throne,  and  it  was  wisely  determined  by  the  peo- 
ple that  they  would  be  ruled  by  judges  for  the  fu- 
ture. Alma  was  chosen  by  the  united  voice  of  his 
countrymen  to  be  their  first  chief  judge.  He  was 
also  their  presiding  high  priest,  he  having  been 
consecrated  to  this  exalted  position  by  his  father, 
who,  shortly  before  his  death,  gave  him  charge  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Church  throughout  all  the  land. 
(B.C.  91). 

Five  hundred  and  nine  years  had  now  passed 
away  since  Lehi  left  Jerusalem,  during  which 
time  the  Nephites  had  been  ruled  by  kings,  the  suc- 
cessors of  the  first  Nephi.  A  wonderful  but  blood- 
less revolution  now  took  place — the  monarchy  was 
merged  into  a  republic ;  but  so  wise  had  been  the 
steps  taken  by  Mosiah,  so  equitably  had  he  ar- 
ranged the  laws,  that  the  change  was  made  with- 
out popular  tumult  or  disorder  in  theaifairs  of  the 
state.  Indeed  the  change  was  hailed  with  un- 
bounded satisfadlionby  the  people,  who  greatly  re- 
joiced in  the  more  extended  liberties  now  guaran- 
teed to  them.  In  Alma,  as  their  first  chief  judge, 
they  had  a  man  admirably  adapted  for  the  situa- 
tion ;  he  had  the  confidence  of  the  people,  inasmuch 
as  he  was  the  Lord's  mouthpiece  to  them,  besides 
his  worth  and  abilities  claimed  their  trust  and 
respedl;  he  was  a  man  of  great  talent,  courage, 
faith  and  energy,  an  unwearied  worker  for  good, 
and,  as  a  judge  judged  righteous  judgment  in  the 
midst  of  the  people.  Still  his  position  was  not  one 
of  unmixed  delights  —  apostates  from  the  Church, 


Alma,  the  younger.     30 

pride  and  unbelief  in  its  members,  assaults  and  in- 
vasions from  the  national  enemies,  all  combined  to 
require  his  undiminished  energies  and  undaunted 
faith.  But  above  and  beyond  all,  as  compensa- 
tion for  these  trials  and  annoyances,  he  had  the 
right  to  receive  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  was 
given  to  him  as  he  needed  or  his  people  inquired. 
"  The  first  year  of  Alma's  judgeship  was  troubled 
by  the  apostasy  of  Nehor,  a  man  of  many  personal 
attradlions  and  great  persuasiveness  of  manner, 
who  v^rent  about  among  the  people  preaching  a 
kind  of  universalism — that  allmen  should  he  saved; 
he  also  established  priestcraft,  making  a  lucrative 
business  of  spreading  his  pernicious  ideas.  His 
success  in  turning  the  hearts  of  the  people  was  un- 
fortunately quite  extensive,  and  the  cause  of  many 
of  the  troubles  that  afterwards  afilidled  the  Ne- 
phites.  The  individual  career  of  Nehor,  however, 
was  short,  he  met  an  aged  servant  of  the  Lord 
named  Gideon,  and  because  the  latter  would  not 
accept  his  dogmas,  but  withstood  him  with  the 
words  of  God,  Nehor  drew  his  sword  and  slew  the 
venerable  disciple.  For  this  offence  he  was 
brought  before  Alma,  and,  being  tried  by  the  law 
of  the  land,  was  found  guilty  and  condemned  to 
death. 

Notwithstanding  the  development  of  those 
follies,  and  departures  from  thestridlness  of  Gospel 
law  apparently  incidental  to  great  worldly  pros- 
perity, there  was  continued  peace  in  the  land  until 
the  fifth  year  of  Alma's  judgeship,  when  a  great 
division  took  place  among  the  people,  owing  to 
the  more  corrupt  portion  wishing  to  restore  the 
monarchy,  and  make  a  man  after  their  own  heart, 
named  Amlici,  king.  The  movement  grew  to  so 
much  importance  that  it  was  referred  to  the  de- 
cision of  the  whole  people,  who  gathered  in  large 
bodies  all  over  the  land,  and  expressed  their 
wishes  for  or  against  Amlici's  elevation  to  the 
throne  in  the  way  prescribed  by    the  law.      The 


31      Alma,  the  younger. 

result  was  that  Amlici's  ambitious  schemes  were 
defeated  by  the  voice  of  the  majority,  and  the 
liberties  of  the  republic  were  preserved. 

This  should  have  ended  the  matter,  but  it  did 
not;  the  turbulent  minority,  incited  by  Amlici, 
would  not  accept  this  constitutional  decision. 
They  assembled  and  crowned  their  favorite  as 
king  of  the  Nephites,  and  he  at  once  began  to  pre- 
pare for  war,  that  he  might  force  the  rest  of  the 
people  assent  to  his  government.  Nor  was  Alma 
idle;  he  also  made  ready  forthe  impending  contest. 
He  gathered  his  people  and  armed  them  with  all 
the  weapons  known  to  Nephite  warfare.  The 
two  armies  met  near  a  hill  called  Amnihu,  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  river  Sidon.  There  a  bloody 
battle  followed,  in  which  Amlici's  forces  were  dis- 
astrously defeated  with  a  loss  of  12,532  men, 
while  the  viftors  had  to  mourn  the  loss  of  6,562 
warriors  slain.  After  pursuing  the  defeated 
monarchists  as  far  as  he  was  able,  Alma  rested  his 
troops  in  the  valley  of  Gideon.  He  there  took  the 
precaution  to  send  out  four  officers  with  their 
companies  to  watch  the  movements  and  learn  the 
intentions  of  the  retreating  foe.  These  officers 
were  named  Zeram,  Amnor,  Manti  and  Limher. 
On  the  morrow  these  scouts  returned  in  great 
haste,  and  reported  that  the  Amlicites  had  joined 
a  vast  host  of  Lamanites  in  the  land  Minon. 
where  unitedly  they  were  slaying  the  Nephite 
population  and  ravaging  their  possessions ;  at  the 
same  time  they  were  pushing  rapidly  towards  the 
Nephite  capital  with  the  intent  of  capturing  it 
before  Alma's  army  could  return.  Alma  at  once 
headed  his  troops  for  Zarahemla,  and  with  all 
haste  marched  towards  it.  He  reached  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Sidon  without  meeting  the  enemy,  but 
while  attempting  to  pass  to  the  western  bank  he 
was  confronted  by  the  allied  armies,  A  terrible 
battle  ensued  ;  the  Nephites  were  taken  somewhat 
at  a  disadvantage,  but  being  men  of  faith,  they 


Alma,  the  younger.     32 

fervently  sought  Heaven's  aid,  and  in  the  increased 
fervor  this  faith  inspired,  they  advanced  to  the 
combat.  With  Alma  at  their  head,  the  advance- 
guard  forded  the  river  and  broke  upon  the  enemy 
who  stood  av^aiting  them.  By  the  fury  of  their 
charge  they  drove  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  and 
as  they  pushed  onward  they  cleared  the  ground  by 
throwing  the  bodies  of  their  fallen  foes  into  the 
Sidon,  thus  making  an  opening  for  the  main  body 
to  obtain  a  foothold.  In  this  charge  Alma  met 
Amlici  face  to  face,  and  they  fought  desperately. 
In  the  midst  of  this  hand-to-hand  combat,  Alma 
lifted  his  heart  on  high,  and  prayed  for  renewed 
strength  that  he  might  not  be  overpowered,  but  live 
to  do  more  good  to  his  people.  His  prayers  were 
answered,  and  thereby  he  gained  new  vigor  to 
battle  with  and  eventually  slay  Amlici.  Amlici 
slain.  Alma  led  the  attack  to  where  the  king  of  the 
Lamanites  fought.  But  that  monarch  retired  be- 
fore the  impetuous  valor  of  the  high  priest,  and 
commanded  his  guards  to  close  in  upon  his  assail- 
ant. The  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  but  it  did 
not  succeed.  Alma  and  his  guards  bore  down 
upon  them  with  such  fury  that  the  few  of  the 
monarch's  warriors  who  escaped  made  a  hasty  re- 
treat. Pushing  steadily  on.  Alma  kept  driving  the 
allies  before  him,  until  his  whole  army  had  crossed 
the  Sidon.  There  the  enemy,  no  longer  able  to 
meet  his  well-ordered  advance,  broke  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  retreated  into  the  wilderness  that  lay  to 
the  north  and  west.  They  were  hotly  pursued  by 
the  Nephites  as  long  as  the  latter's  strength  per- 
mitted, and  were  met  on  all  quarters  by  patriots 
rallying  to  the  call  of  the  commonwealth,  who 
slew  them  by  thousands.  A  remnant  eventually 
reached  that  part  of  the  wilderness  known  as 
Hermoants.  There  many  died  of  their  wounds  and 
were  devoured  by  the  wild  beasts  and  vultures  with 
which  that  region  abounded. 

To  the  Nephites  was  left  the  sad  task  of  bury- 


33       Alma,  the  younger. 

ing  the  unnumbered  dead,  many  of  whom  were 
women  and  children  who  had  become  vidlims  to 
the  ravages  of  the  foe. 

A  few  days  after  this  decisive  battle,  another 
invading  Lamanite  army  was  reported.  This  one 
advanced  along  the  east  bank  of  the  Sidon.  It 
appears  to  have  been  the  plan  of  their  military 
commanders  to  invade  the  Nephite  territory  with 
two  separate  armies,  both  traveling  northward 
toward  the  city  of  Zarahemla,  but  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  Sidon.  That  advancing  on  the  west 
side  moved  the  most  rapidly,  and  was  met,  con- 
quered and  dispersed  by  Alma,  while  the  other 
afterwards  met  the  same  fate  at  the  hands  of  one 
of  his  lieutenants.  Alma  himself  having  been  too 
seriously  wounded  in  one  of  the  preceding  battles 
to  permit  him  to  lead  his  troops  in  person. 

The  great  losses  sustained  by  the  Nephites  in 
war,  not  of  warriors  alone,  but  of  women  and 
children,  together  with  the  vast  amount  of  their 
property  destroyed,  had  the  effecft  of  humbling 
them  and  softening  their  wayward  hearts,  so  that 
many  thousands,  during  the  next  few  years,  were 
added  to  the  church  by  baptism.  But  the  recollec- 
tion of  their  former  disasters  was  gradually  worn 
awaj^  by  time  and  prosperity.  Three  years  later 
we  find  great  inequality  in  the  Church — some  poor 
and  some  rich,  the  more  powerful  abusing  and  op- 
pressing their  weaker  brethren.  This  course 
proved  a  great  stumbling-block  to  those  who  were 
not  numbered  with  the  Church,  as  well  as  being 
the  cause  of  much  sorrow  and  ill-feeling  among 
its  members.  Finding  that  no  man  could  properly 
attend  to  the  duties  of  his  many  offices.  Alma 
determined  to  resign  the  chief  judgeship,  and 
devote  his  entire  time  to  his  duties  as  the  earthly 
head  of  the  Church.  Preparatory  to  his  resigna- 
tion, he  selected  one  of  the  leading  elders,  named 
Nephihah,  to  be  his  successor  as  chief  judge.  This 
choice  was  confirmed  by  the  people.     (B,  C.  83.) 


Alma,  the  younger.    34 

The  cares  of  the  state  having  thus  been  re- 
moved from  his  shoulders,  Alma  commenced  his 
ministerial  labors  at  Zarahemla,  the  chief  city  of 
the  nation,  and  thence  proceeded  throughout 
the  land.  As  often  happens  in  other  nations,  the 
capital  was  the  centre  of  pride,  vanity,  envy, 
hypocrisy  and  class  distinctions .  These  evils 
Alma  severely  rebuked,  at  the  same  time  he  guided 
the  minds  of  the  people  to  the  contemplation  and 
understanding  of  the  beauties  and  saving  pov^ers 
of  redemption's  v^ondrous  plan,  whilst  he  ex- 
horted all  to  become  members  of  Christ's  holy 
Church.  His  call  was  heeded  by  many;  the 
Church  was  set  in  order ;  the  unworthy  were  dis- 
fellowshiped ;  elders,  priests  and  other  officers  were 
ordained  to  preside  and  watch  over  the  Saints. 
This  being  accomplished,  Alma  took  his  journey 
eastward,  across  the  river  Sidon,  to  the  city  of 
Gideon,  where  he  happily  found  the  Church  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  Alma's  teachings  to  this 
people  were  full  of  prophecies  concerning  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah,  which  show  how  clearly  he  and 
his  faithful  fellow  servants  understood  the  details 
of  the  advent  and  life  of  the  promised  Redeemer. 
Having  established  the  Church  in  Gideon,  Alma  re- 
turned to  Zarahemla  to  rest  and  recruit  for  a  short 
time  before  visiting  other  portions  of  the  land. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  next  year  (B.  C. 
82),  Alma  turned  his  face  westward,  He  first 
visited  the  land  of  Melek,  where  his  labors  were 
crowned  with  abundant  blessings.  Having  satis- 
fied himself  with  the  good  that  he  had  accom- 
plished, he  *' traveled  three  days'  journey  on  the 
north  of  the  land  of  Melek,"  to  a  great  and 
corrupt  city  called  Ammonihah.  Here  he  found  a 
godless  people,  filled  with  the  falsehoods  of  Nehor, 
and  living  in  the  committal  of  all  manner  of 
abominations  without  repentance,  because  thej^ 
cherished  the  flattering  lie  as  the  foundation  of 
their  creed,  that  all  men  would  be  saved.    The  city 


35      Alma,  the  younger. 

was  in  the  hands  of  a  corrupt  clique  of  judges  and 
lawyers,  who  stirred  up  sedition,  tumult  and  riot- 
ing, that  they  might  make  money  out  of  the  suits 
that  followed  such  disturbances.  Further  than 
this,  they  were  secretly  plotting  to  overthrow  the 
government,  and  rob  the  people  of  their  highly 
prized  liberties.  Among  such  a  people  Alma 
labored  in  vain,  no  one  would  listen,  none  would 
obey,  none  offered  him  rest  and  food,  but  scorn 
and  mockery  were  his  reward,  and  he  was  spat 
upon,  maltreated  and  cast  out  of  the  city  for  his 
pains.  Weary  in  body  and  sick  at  heart  because 
of  the  iniquity  of  the  people,  after  many  fruitless 
efforts,  fervent  prayers  and  long  fastings.  Alma 
left  the  city  to  seek  some  other  people  more  worthy 
of  salvation's  priceless  gifts.  He  bent  his  way  to- 
wards the  city  of  Aaron;  but  as  he  journeyed 
thitherward,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  (that  same 
angel  that  beforetime  had  been  the  agent  in  his 
conversion  to  God,)  stood  before  him  and  blessed 
him.  He  told  him  to  lift  up  his  heart  and  rejoice, 
for  because  of  his  faithfulness  he  had  great  cause 
to  do  so.  The  angel  then  directed  Alma  to  return 
to  the  sin-cursed  city  he  had  just  left,  and  pro- 
claim unto  its  godless  citizens  the  awful  message 
that  "Except  they  repent  the  Lord  will  destroy 
them." 

Speedily  the  prophet  obeyed  the  angel's  words. 
By  another  road  he  drew  near  the  doomed  city, 
which  he  entered  by  its  south  gate.  As  he  passed 
in  he  was  an  hungered,  and  asked  a  man  whom  he 
met,  *'Will  you  give  to  an  humble  servant  of  God 
something  to  eat?"  With  joy  the  man  took 
him  to  his  home  and  fed,  clothed  and  lodged 
him.  Furthermore,  Amulek,  for  such  was  his 
name,  told  Alma  that  he  also  had  received  a  visit 
from  a  holy  angel,  who  had  informed  him  of  the 
high  priest's  coming  and  dire(5led  him  to  receive 
him  into  his  house.  And  Alma  blessed  Amulek 
and  all  his  household,  and  tarried  and  recruited 


Alma,  the  younger.     36 

tinder  the  generous  hospitality  which  his  home  af- 
forded. But  his  rest  was  not  to  be  a  leng^thened 
one ;  the  people  waxed  stronger  in  sin ;  the  cup  of 
their  iniquity  was  nearly  full.  "Go,"  came  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  "Go  forth,  and  take  with  thee 
my  servant  Amulek,  and  prophesy  unto  this 
people,  saying,  Repent  ye,  for  thus  saith  the  Lord, 
except  ye  repent,  I  will  visit  this  people  in  mine 
anger;  yea,  I  will  not  turn  my  fierce  anger  away." 
Filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  these  servants  of 
Israel's  God  went  forth  and  valiantly  delivered 
their  terrible  message.  From  place  to  place  they 
went,  raising  their  Jonah-like  cry.  The  heathen 
Ninevehites  hearkened  and  repented  ;  the  sin-stained 
Israelites  of  Ammoniah  laughed,  scorned,  mocked 
and  turned  contemptuously  away.  A  few  indeed 
received  the  word,  but  that  only  increased  the 
anger  of  the  majority,  who,  led  and  egged  on  by 
their  still  more  depraved  rulers  and  teachers,  per- 
secuted the  prophets  and  martyred  the  believers. 
The  account  given  of  the  teachings  of  Alma 
and  Amulek,  their  disputations  with  Zeezrom  and 
other  lawyers  and  rulers  in  Ammoniah,  is  given 
at  length  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and,  in  conse- 
quence thereof,  we  have  handed  down  to  us  some 
of  the  plainest,  yet  profoundest  teachings  on  the 
atonement,  the  resurrection,  the  powers  of  the 
priesthood, etc.,  that  are  to  be  had  among  mankind. 
We  cannot  follow  them  here  through  all  the  varied 
incidents  that  led  to  the  final  catastrophe.  Faith- 
fully the  prophets  warned  Ammoniah  of  its  ap- 
proaching desolation;  scornfully  and  incredulously 
the  hardened  people  hurled  back  their  words  of 
warning  with  defiance.  The  few  that  believed,  of 
which  the  crafty,  hair-splitting  Zeezrom  was  the 
most  notable  example,  were  cast  out  of  the  city, 
w^hile  Alma  and  Amulek  were  bound  with  strong 
cords,  and,  under  false  accusations  of  having  re- 
viled the  laws,  they  were  cast  into  prison.  Having 
consigned  Alma  and  his  companion  to  a  prison 


37       Alma,  the  younger. 

cell,  the  infuriated  people  hunted  up  the  wives  and 
the  little  ones  of  the  believers  whom  they  had  cast 
out,  with  such  as  had  accepted  the  truth  who  still 
remained  in  the  city,  and,  gathering  them  in  a 
body,  they  burned  them  in  one  great  martyr's 
fire.  Into  the  flames  they  also  cast  the  records 
that  contained  the  holy  Scriptures,  as  though  they 
imagined  in  their  blind  fury  that  the3^  could  there- 
by destroy  the  truths  that  were  so  odious  to  them. 
In  the  refinement  of  their  devilish  cruelty  they 
brought  Alma  and  Amulek  to  the  place  of  martyr- 
dom, that  they  might  be  witnesses  of  the  agonies 
of  the  suffering  innocents,  and  listen  to  the  crack- 
ling and  the  roaring  of  the  flames.  With  jeers, 
with  mouthings  and  derisive  gestures,  they  called 
upon  the  prophets  to  rescue  their  dying  converts. 
Amulek's  noble  heart  was  pained  beyond  endur- 
ance ;  he  besought  Alma  to  exercise  the  power  of 
God  that  was  in  them,  and  to  save  the  vidlims 
from  the  consuming  flames.  But  Alma  replied, 
"The  Spirit  constraineth  me  that  I  must  not 
stretch  forth  mine  hand,  for  behold  the  Lord  re- 
ceiveth  them  up  unto  Himself  in  glory;  and  he  doth 
suffer  tliat  the  people  may  do  this  thing,  accord- 
ing to  the  hardness  of  their  hearts,  that  the  judg- 
ments which  he  shall  exercise  upon  them  in  his 
wrath  may  be  just ;  and  the  blood  of  the  innocent 
shall  stand  as  a  witness  against  them  at  the  last 
day."  Then  Amulek  said,  "Perhaps  they  will 
burn  us  also."  To  which  Alma  responded,  "Be  it 
according  to  the  will  of  the  Lord.  But,  beheld, 
our  work  is  not  finished ;  therefore  they  burn  us 
not." 

When  the  fire  had  burned  low,  and  the  precious 
fuel  of  human  bodies  and  sacred  records  was  con- 
sumed, the  chief  judge  of  the  city  came  to  the  two 
prophets  as  they  stood  bound,  and  mocked  them. 
He  smote  them  on  the  cheek,  and  sneeringly  asked 
them  if  they  would  preach  again  that  his  people 
should  be  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone, 


Alma,  the  younger.     38 

seeing  that  they  had  no  power  to  save  those  who 
had  been  burned,  neither  had  God  exercised  His 
power  in  their  behalf.  But  neither  answered  him 
a  word.  Then  he  smote  them  again  and  re- 
manded them  to  prison. 

After  they  had  been  confined  three  days,  they 
were  visited  by  many  judges  and  lawyers,  priests 
and  teachers,  after  the  order  of  Nehor,  who  came 
to  exult  in  the  misery  of  their  prisoners.  They 
cross-questioned  and  badgered  them,  but  neither 
would  reply.  They  came  again  the  next  day,  and 
went  through  the  same  performance.  They 
mocked  at,  they  smote,  they  spat  upon  the  two 
disciples.  They  tantalized  them  with  outrageous 
and  blasphemous  questions,  such  as  the  nature  of 
their  peculiar  faith  inspired.  Patiently  and 
silently  all  this  was  borne;  day  after  day  was  it 
repeated ;  harder  and  harder  grew  the  hearts  of 
the  Ammonihahites  towards  their  prisoners; 
fiercer  and  stronger  grew  their  hatred.  They 
stripped  Alma  and  Amulek  of  their  clothes,  and, 
when  naked,  bound  them  with  strong  ropes. 
They  withheld  food  and  drink  from  them,  and  in  va- 
rious ways  they  tortured  their  bodies,  and  sought 
to  aggravate,  tantalize  and  harrow  up  their  minds. 
On  the  12th  day  of  the  tenth  month  of  the  tenth 
year  of  the  Judges  (B.  C  82),  the  chief  judge 
and  his  followers  again  went  to  the  prison.  Ac- 
cording to  his  usual  custom  he  smote  the  brethren, 
saying  as  he  did  so,  "  If  ye  have  the  powder  of  God, 
deliver  3^ourselves  from  these  bonds,  and  then 
we  will  believe  that  the  Lord  will  destroy  this 
people  according  to  your  words."  This  impious 
challenge  the  crowd  one  by  one  repeated  as  they 
passed  by  the  prophets,  and  smote  them  in  imi- 
tation of  their  leader.  Thus  each  individual  as- 
sumed the  responsibility  of  the  defiance  cast  at 
the  Almighty,  and  virtually  said,  "Our  blood  be 
upon  our  own  heads."  The  hour  of  God's  power 
had  now  come — the  challenge  had  been  accepted. 


39     Alma,  the  younger. 

The  prophets  in  the  majesty  of  their  calling,  rose 
to  their  feet;  they  were  endowed  with  the  strength 
of  Jehovah ;  like  burned  thread  the  cords  that 
bound  them  were  snapped  asunder,  and  they 
stood  free  and  unshackled  before  the  terror- 
stricken  mob.  To  rush  from  the  prison  was  the 
first  impulse  of  the  God-defying  followers  of 
Nehor;  in  their  fear  all  else  was  forgotten,  some 
fell  to  the  earth,  others,  impelled  by  the  mob 
behind,  stumbled  and  fell  over  their  prostrate 
bodies,  until  they  became  one  confused,  inex- 
tricable mass,  blocking  each  other's  way,  strug- 
gling, yelling,  cursing,  pleading,  fighting;  fran- 
tically, but  vainly,  endeavoring  to  reach  the  outer 
gate.  At  this  moment  of  supreme  horror  an 
earthquake  rent  the  prison  walls;  they  trembled, 
then  tottered,  then  fell  on  the  struggling  mass  of 
humanity  below,  burying  in  one  vast,  unconse- 
crated  grave,  rulers  and  judges,  lawyers  and 
oflicers,  priests  and  teachers.  Not  one  was  left  of 
all  the  impious  mob,  who  a  few  moments  before 
defied  Heaven  and  challenged  Jehovah's  might. 
Alma  and  Amulek  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  ruins 
unhurt.  Straightway  they  left  the  scene  of  deso- 
lation and  went  into  the  city.  Here  the  horri- 
fied people  fled  from  them  as  a  herd  of  goats 
flee  from  before  two  young  lions. 

Alma  and  Amulek,  being  so  commanded,  left 
the  doomed  city  and  passed  over  to  the  land  of 
Sidom.  Here  they  found  the  Saints  who  had  been 
cast  out  of  Ammonihah.  To  them  they  told  the 
sad,  though  glorious  story  of  their  martyred 
kin,  and  with  many  words  of  wisdom  and  consola- 
tion they  encouraged  them  to  lives  of  devotion  to 
Christ.  Here  also  they  found  Zeezrom,  the  law- 
yer, racked  in  spirit  with  the  recollecftion  of  his 
former  infamies,  and  tortured  in  bod\^  by  the 
heats  of  a  burning  fever.  At  his  request  the  two  serv- 
ants of  the  Most  High  visited  him.  They  found 
he  had  repented  in  much  tribulation  for  the  past. 


Alma,  the  younger.    40 

and  that  faith  had  developed  in  his  heart.  Alma 
then  exercised  the  power  of  his  calling.  Appealing 
to  Heaven,  he  cried  '^  O  Lord,  our  God,  have  mercy 
on  this  man,  and  heal  him  according  to  his  faith, 
w^hich  is  in  Christ."  Zeezrom  thereupon  leaped 
upon  his  feet;  his  fever  had  left;  he  was  made 
whole  by  the  grace  of  God,  whilst  the  people 
wondered  and  were  astonished  at  this  manifesta- 
tion of  God's  goodness.  Zeezrom  was  then  bap- 
tized by  Alma,  and  became  a  zealous,  faithful  ad- 
vocate of  divine  law. 

The  more  complete  organization  of  the  Church 
in  Sidom  was  the  next  work  accomplished  by 
Alma,  which,  having  been  satisfadlorily  attended 
to,  and  the  proper  officers  of  the  priesthood  hav- 
ing been  ordained  and  appointed,  Alma,  accom- 
panied by  his  faithful  friend  Amulek,  returned  to 
his  home  in  Zarahemla. 

Next  year  Ammonihah  was  destroyed.  Less 
than  four  months  had  elapsed  since  the  two  in- 
spired followers  of  the  Lamb  left  it  to  its  fate, 
when  the  Lamanites  fell  upon  it  like  a  whirlwind 
in  its  suddenness,  and  as  an  avalanche  in  its  utter 
desolation.  For  one  da)^  the  fierce  flames  con- 
sumed the  walls  and  towers  of  Ammonihah.  The 
great  city  was  no  more;  the  word  of  the  Lord 
had  been  fully  accomplished ;  not  one  of  its  chil- 
dren remained.  A  desolation  and  a  desert  re- 
mained, where  dogs,  vultures  and  wild  beasts 
struggled  for  the  carcasses  of  the  slain.  Having 
resigned  the  office  of  chief  judge.  Alma  no  longer 
led  the  armies  of  Nephi.  A  righteous  man  named 
Zoram  was  their  commander,  Without  delay  he 
gathered  his  .forces,  and  prepared  to  meet  the  in- 
vading Lamanites.  Knowing  that  Alma  was  the 
mouthpiece  of  God,  he  and  his  two  sons  went  to 
the  high  priest,  and  inquired  how  the  campaign 
should  be  condudled.  That  word  was  given,  its 
instrudlions  were  carried  out,  vidlory  perched  upon 
the  Nephite  banners,  and  the  Lamanites,  utterly 


41     Alma,  the  younger. 

routed,  retreated  to  their  own  lands,  and  there 
was  continued  peace  throughout  the  continent  for 
three  years. 

During  this  period  of  peace,  Alma  and  his  fel- 
low priesthood  preached  God's  holy  word  in  the 
power  and  demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  and  with 
much  success.  Great  prosperity  came  to  the 
Church  throughout  all  the  lands  of  the  Nephites. 
At  this  happy  time  "there  was  no  inequality 
among  them,  the  Lord  did  pour  out  His  Spirit  on 
all  the  face  of  the  land,"  as  Alma  supposed,  to  pre- 
pare the  hearts  of  His  people  for  the  coming  of 
Christ.  With  this  objedl  full  in  view,  he  labored 
and  rejoiced,  preached,  blessed  and  prophesied, 
never  tiring  in  his  energies,  and  feeling  sorrowful 
only  because  of  the  hard-heartedness  and  spiritual 
blindness  of  some  of  the  people.  In  one  most  glo- 
rious event  he  had  unspeakable  joy:  The  compan- 
ions of  his  youth,  the  sons  of  king  Mosiah,  re- 
turned from  a  fourteen  years'  mission  among  the 
Lamanites,  during  which  time,  after  man^^  sore 
trials  and  great  tribulation,  they,  by  the  grace  of 
the  Father,  had  brought  many  thousands  of  that 
benighted  race  to  a  knowledge  of  the  principles  of 
the  everlasting  Gospel. 

Alma  was  traveling  south  on  one  of  his  mis- 
sionary journeys  from  the  land  of  Zarahemla  to 
the  land  of  Manti,  when  he  met  Ammon  and  his 
brethren  coming  from  the  land  of  Nephi.  On 
hearing  the  story  of  their  mission,  he  at  once  re- 
turned home  with  them  to  Zarahemla.  Here  the 
condition  of  affairs  among  the  Lamanites,  was  re- 
hearsed to  the  chief  judge,  who  laid  the  whole  sub- 
jecft  before  the  people,  so  that  whatever  was  done 
in  relation  to  the  Christian  Lamanites,  might  be 
done  by  common  consent.  The  Nephites  decided 
to  give  the  land  of  Jershon  (w^hich  lay  south  of 
the  land  Bountiful)  to  these  people  for  an  inherit- 
ance. With  this  cheering  news  Ammon,  accom- 
panied by  Alma,  returned  into  the  southern  wilder- 


Alma,  the  younger.     42 

ness,  to  the  place  where  his  people  were  awaiting 
the  decision  of  the  Nephites.  Here  they  were  min- 
istered to  and  comforted  by  Alma  and  others, 
after  w^hich  they  resumed  their  march  to  the  land 
designated  for  their  future  abode. 

We  pass  over  the  next  few  years  of  Alma's  life, 
during  which  period  he  was  laboring  with  his 
usual  zeal  and  devotion,  to  the  latter  portion  of 
the  seventeenth  year  of  the  judges  (B.  C.  75).  It 
was  then  that  Konhor,the  anti-Christ,  appeared. 
His  pernicious  dodlrines  savor  much  of  certain 
classes  ot  modern  religious  delusion,  but  his  main 
arguments  were  diredled  against  the  advent  and 
atonement  of  the  Redeemer.  From  land  to  land 
he  journeyed  among  the  Nephites,  spreading  his 
false  theories  and  notions.  But  as  he  claimed  that 
as  he  taught  so  he  believed,  the  law  could  not 
touch  him,  for  it  was  stridlly  forbidden  in  the  Ne- 
phite  constitution  that  any  one  should  be  pun- 
ished on  account  of  his  belief;  freedom  of  con- 
science was  guaranteed  to  all.  At  last,  not  know- 
ing what  to  do  with  him,  as  he  was  fomenting 
dissension  and  endangering  the  peace  of  the  com- 
munity, the  local  officers  sent  him  to  Alma  and 
the  chief  judge,  for  them  to  decide  in  the  matter. 
When  brought  before  these  officers  he  continued, 
with  great  swelling  v^ords  of  blasphemy,  to  ridi- 
cule the  holy  principles  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  revile 
the  servants  of  God,  falsely  accusing  them,  among 
other  things,  of  glutting  themselves  out  of  the 
labors  of  the  people.  In  Alma's  answer  to  this 
charge  we  have  a  pleasing  insight  into  his  private 
life.  He  said:  ''Thou  knowest  that  w^e  do  not 
glut  ourselves  upon  the  labors  of  this  people,  for 
behold,  I  have  labored,  even  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  reign  of  the  judges  until  now,  with 
mine  own  hands  for  my  support,  notwithstanding 
my  many  travels  around  about  the  land  to  declare 
the  word  of  God  unto  my  people ;  and  notwith- 
standing the  many  labors  I  have  performed  in  the 


43     Alma,  the  younger. 

Cimrch,  I  have  not  so  much  as  received  even  one 
senine  for  my  labor ;  neither  has  any  of  my  breth- 
ren, save  it  were  in  the  judgment  seat,  and  then 
v^e  have  received  only  according  to  law  for  our 
time." 

Korihor  continued  to  withstand  the  prophet, 
until,  in  compliance  with  his  impious  importuni- 
ties, a  sign  was  given  him — a  most  unwelcome  and 
unexpecfhed  sign  to  him  —  he  was  struck  dumb  by 
the  power  of  God.  He  was  cast  out  from  the  face 
of  society,  a  wanderer  and  a  vagabond,  begging 
from  door  to  door  for  bread  to  sustain  life.  While 
thus  dragging  out  a  miserable  existence,  he  was 
run  over  and  trodden  to  death  in  a  city  of  the  Zo- 
ramites. 

The  Zoramites  were  a  dangerous  bodv  of  dis- 
senters, who  also  taught  that  there  should  be  no 
Christ.  They  deluded  themstlves  with  the  idea 
that  they  v^ere  the  peculiar  objecfts  of  Heaven's 
favor,  born  to  be  saved,  predestined  to  eternal 
glory,  while  the  rest  of  the  world  were  the  re- 
je(5led;  the  fore-ordained  damned.  This  consoling 
creed,  to  the  corrupt  and  crime-stained,  was  rap- 
idly growing  and  gaining  influence  at  the  time  of 
Korihor 's  death,  and  became  the  next  objedl  of 
Alma's  ever- watchful  care.  Accompanied  by  Atn- 
ulek,  Zeezrom,  three  of  the  sons  of  king  Mosiah, 
and  two  of  his  own  sons,  he  went  over  to  the  re- 
gions inhabited  by  these  apostates.  This  mission 
was  one  of  the  most  important  of  his  life,  and, 
like  that  to  Ammonihah,  was  but  partially  success- 
ful. As  soon  as  Alma  discovered  the  gross  iniquity 
of  this  people,  and  the  peculiarities  of  their  forms 
of  worship,  he  held  a  council  meeting  with  his 
fellow-missionaries,  and  having  prayed  fervently 
to  the  Lord,  "he  clapped  his  hands  upon  all  who 
were  with  him.  And,  behold,  as  he  clapped  his 
hands  upon  them,  they  were  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.  And  after  that,  thev  did  separate  them- 
selves one  from  another;  taking  no  thought  for 


Alma,  the  younger.    44 

themselves  what  they  should  eat,  or  what  they 
should  drink,  or  what  they  should  put  on,"  And 
in  all  these  things  the  Lord  provided  for  them. 
The  missionaries  labored  dilligently;  they  visited 
the  people  in  their  homes ;  they  preached  in  their 
synagogues  ;  they  proclaimed  the  truth  in  their 
streets;  but  the  flattering  errors  of  their  false  faith 
had  so  thoroughly  taken  possession  of  them  that 
they  rejeAed  the  truth,  and  persecuted  and  even 
attempted  to  slay  some  of  Alma's  companions. 
However,  this  rejedlion  was  not  universal;  a 
number  of  the  poorer  and  more  humble  Zoramites 
accepted  the  Divine  message,  in  consequence  of 
which  they  were  shortly  after  driven  from  their 
homes  and  out  of  their  country  by  their  more 
numerous,  more  influential,  and  also  more  corrupt 
fellow-citizens. 

When  Alma  and  his  associates  had  done  all 
the  good  that  seemed  to  them  practicable,  they 
retired  to  the  land  of  Jershon,  where  the  Ammon- 
ites dwelt;  thither  the  believing  Zoramites 
followed  when  they  were  expatriated  by  their 
fellow-countrymen.  In  Jershon  they  were  kindly 
received  by  its  inhabitants  and  welcomed  as 
brethren.  Here  Alma  again  administered  to 
them.  Having  done  this,  he  and  most  of  his  co- 
laborers  returned  to  -^arahemla. 

Alma  was  now  growing  old.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  unceasing  eflbrts  and  fervent  prayers,  the 
Nephites  were  again  backsliding  into  iniquity.  To 
every  Nephite  city,  and  to  every  Nephite  land  he 
went  or  sent,  to  revive  the  Gospel  fires  in  the  souls 
of  the  inhabitants.  But  many  became  offended 
because  of  the  stridlness  of  the  Gospel's  laws, 
which  forbade  not  only  sin  itself,  but  the  very  ap- 
pearance of  sin.  As  this  feeling  grew,  Alma's 
heart  became  exceedingly  sorrov^ful  and  he 
mourned  the  depravity  of  his  people.  Like  many 
of  the  ancient  patriarchs,  when  they  felt  that 
their  mortal  career  was  drawing  to  a  close,  he 


45     Alma,  the  younger. 

called  his  sons  to  him,  and  gave  them  his  last 
charge  and  blessing;  "speaking  to  each  as  the  spirit 
of  instrudlion  and  prophecy  inspired.  To  Helaman 
his  eldest,  he  transferred  the  custody  of  the  sacred 
plates,  with  many  words  of  warning  and  caution 
regarding  them.  With  hearts  strengthened  and 
renewed  by  the  inspiration  of  his  fervent  admoni- 
tions, his  sons  went  forth  among  the  people ;  nor 
could  Alma  himself  rest  while  there  was  a  soul  to 
save  or  a  wrong  to  make  right.  He  also  went 
forth  once  again,  in  the  spirit  of  his  holy  calling, 
and  raised  his  voice  in  advocacy  of  the  principles 
of  the  everlasting  gospel. 

Another  bloody  war  now  commenced,  one  that 
before  its  close  drew  out  the  whole  strength  of 
both  Nephite  and  Lamanite.  The  youthful,  but 
brilliant  and  God-fearing  Moroni,  took  charge  of 
the  armies  of  Nephi.  He,  not  willing  to  trust  to  his 
own  powders,  sent  to  Alma  for  the  Divine  word  to 
diredl  his  movements.  As  was  his  wont,  the  high 
priest  was  favored  with  the  revelation  of  heaven's 
will,  which  being  conveyed  to  Moroni,  was  in  faith 
implicitly  followed.  We  need  not  enter  into  the 
details  of  the  terrible  battle  that  ensued  ;  vi(?tory 
crowned  the  inspired  general's  efforts,  and  with 
the  account  of  this  battle  the  record  of  Alma 
closes. 

It  was  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  the  Judges  (B. 
C.  73),  that  Alma  took  his  beloved  son,  Helaman, 
and  after  having  discovered,  through  divers 
questions,  the  strength  and  integrity  of  his  faith,  he 
prophesied  to  him  of  many  important  events 
which  should  transpire  in  the  distant  future,  espe- 
cially with  regard  to  the  destrudlion  of  the  Ne- 
phi tes.  This  prophecy  he  commanded  him  to  re- 
cord on  the  plates,  but  not  to  reveal  to  any  one. 
Alma  then  blessed  Helaman,  also  his  other  sons ; 
indeed  he  blessed  all  who  should  stand  firm  in  the 
truth  of  Christ  from  that  time  forth.  Shortly 
after  this  he  departed  out  of  the  land  of  Zara- 


Alma,  Valley  of.  46  Amaleki. 

hemla,  as  if  to  go  to  the  land  of  Melek,  and  was 
never  heard  of  more.  Of  his  death  and  burial  no 
men  were  witnesses.  Then  the  saying  went 
abroad  throughout  the  Church  that  the  Lord  had 
taken  him,  as  He  befo retime  had  taken  Moses. 
This  event  occurred  exadllj  one  hundred  years 
from  the  time  of  the  elder  Alma's  birth. 

ALMA,  VALLEY  OF.  A  valley  one  day's 
travel  north  of  the  City  of  Helam  on  the  road  to 
Zarahemla.  When  the  people  of  Alma  escaped 
from  the  Lamanites  in  the  land  of  Helam  they 
pitched  their  tents  in  this  valley  and  gave  unto  it 
this  name,  because  Alma  (the  elder)  was  their 
leader.  Here  they  all — men,  women  andchildren — 
poured  out  their  thanks  to  God  for  their  deliver- 
ance. But  they  were  not  permitted  to  tarry  in 
this  valley.  The  Lord  commanded  Alma  to  hasten 
and  depart,  for  their  Lamanite  oppressors  were 
pursuing  them,  but  that  He  would  here  stop 
them.  After  twelve  days'  journey  from  this  place 
Alma  and  his  people  reached  the  land  of  Zara- 
hemla. 

AMALEKI.  The  son  of  Abinadom  and  a 
descendant  of  Jacob,  the  son  of  Lehi.  He  was 
one  of  the  custodians  of  the  sacred  records  of  the 
Nephites,  and  was  born  in  the  days  of  the  first 
Mosiah,  but  whether  in  the  land  of  Nephi  or  of 
Zarahemla  does  not  appear.  If  in  Nephi  then  he 
transported  the  plates  from  that  land  to  Zara- 
hemla in  the  great  migration  of  the  Nephites 
under  Mosiah,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  he  did  so, 
for  it  is  he  that  gives  the  account  of  this  vast 
movement.  Having  no  children,  at  his  death  he 
transferred  the  holy  things  of  which  he  had  charge 
to  king  Benjamin.    He  lived  about  B.C.  200. 

AMALEKI.  A  descendant  of  Zarahemla, 
and  one  of  the  brothers  of  Ammon,  the  leader  of 
the  company  of  sixteen  picked  men  who,  by  king 
Mosiah's  permission,  visited  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi 
(B.  C.  122)  to  discover  what  had  become  of  the 


Amalekites.  47  Amalekiah. 

company  of  Nephite  colonists  who  had  returned 
there,  under  the  leadership  of  Zeniff]  during  the 
reign  of  the  first  Mosiah,  as  near  as  can  be  told 
some  75  or  80  years  previously.  Amaleki,  with 
two  other  brothers  of  Ammon  (Helem  and  Hem), 
was  chosen  by  Ammon,  when  the^^  approached 
the  city  of  Lehi-Nephi,  to  go  with  him  in  advance 
of  the  rest  of  the  company  and  find  out  how 
matters  stood  in  that  region.  They  were  cap- 
tured by  the  guards  of  King  Limhi  and  cast  into 
prison,  but  were  liberated  two  days  afterwards 
when  it  was  found  that  they  were  Nephites. 

AMALEKITES,  Asedl  of  Nephite  apostates 
whose  origin  is  not  given.  Many  of  them  were 
after  the  order  of  Nehor.  Very  early  in  the  da^'s 
of  the  republic  they  had  affiliated  with  theLaman- 
ites  and  with  them  built  a  large  citj^  not  far  from 
the  waters  of  Mormon,  which  they  called  Jerusa- 
lem. They  were  exceedingly  crafty  and  hard- 
hearted, and  in  all  the  ministrations  of  the  sons 
of  Mosiah  among  them  only  one  was  converted. 
They  led  in  the  massacres  of  the  Christian  Lam an- 
ites  or  people  of  Anti-Nephi-Lehi;  and  in  later 
years  the  Lamanite  generals  were  in  the  habit  of 
placing  them  in  high  command  in  their  armies, 
because  of  their  greater  force  of  chara(fter,  their 
intense  hatred  to  their  former  brethren,  and  their 
more  wicked  and  murderous  disposition.  In  the 
sacred  record  they  are  generally  associated  wnth 
the  Zoramites  and  Amulonites. 

AMALEKIAH.  A  Nephite  traitor  and 
apostate  in  the  days  of  the  Republic,  and  after- 
wards king  of  the  Lamanites.  He  was  descended 
from  Zoram,  the  servant  of  Laban. 

We  judge  from  the  conspicuous  military  ability 
shown  by  Amalekiah  that  his  early  training  was 
that  of  a  soldier,  as  no  one  would  be  more 
likely  to  be  chosen  by  the  disaffected  monarchists 
as  their  leader  than  a  brilliant  and  ambitious 
officer  in  the  national  army.    It  appears  that  in 


Amalekiah.  48 

the  19th  year  of  the  judges  (B.  C.  73),  one  of 
those  frequently  occurring  outbreaks  in  favor  of  a 
change  in  the  form  of  the  Nephite  government 
took  place.  The  hallowed  glories  of  Mosiah's 
reign  were  still  bright  in  the  hearts  of  many, 
while  others,  by  ambition  led,  intrigued  for  the 
restoration  of  the  kingly  power,  that  they  might 
find  place  and  profit  at  the  court.  The  plan  for  a 
revolution  was  laid,  the  king- — men  gathered  in 
armed  array  and  Amalekiah  was  chosen  as  their 
general;  but  they  were  disappointed,  the  masses  did 
not  join  their  standard  in  the  expecfted  numbers. 
On  the  other  hand,  Moroni,  the  Nephite  com- 
mander, gathered  so  great  a  force  for  the  defence 
of  the  commonwealth,  that  retreat  was  con- 
sidered the  better  part  of  wisdom ;  but  his  fol- 
lowers being  out-generaled  by  Moroni,  Amalekiah 
fled  to  the  court  of  the  king  of  the  Lamanites. 

The  king  received  him  with  much  honor.  It  is 
altogether  probable  that  the  monarch  also  was 
of  an  apostate  Nephite  family.  Seven  or  eight 
years  previously  the  Christian  Lamanites  with  the 
king  at  their  head  had  been  ruthlessly  driven  from 
their  homes  by  their  unbelieving  fellow  country- 
men, led  by  members  of  the  various  Nephite 
apostate  orders  who  had  taken  up  their  residence 
amongst  the  Lamanites.  A  leader  of  one  of  these 
se(^ts  would  naturally  work  his  way  to  the  throne 
when  the  rightful  king  and  his  family  sought 
refuge  in  the  land  of  Zarahemla.  What  makes  this 
idea  more  probable  is  that  Amalekiah  afterwards 
married  the  widowed  queen,  a  thing  he  was  much 
more  likely  to  do  if  she  were  a  fair  Nephite,  than  a 
dark-skinned  daughter  of  Laman.  On  the  first 
favorable  opportunity  Amalekiah  commenced  to 
rekindle  the  fires  of  hatred  in  the  bosoms  of  the 
Lamanites  toward  his  former  friends.  At  first 
he  was  not  successful;  the  recolledlion  of  their 
recent  defeats  was  too  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the 
multitude.    The  king  issued  a  war  proclamation, 


49  Amalickiah. 

but  it  was  disregarded.  Much  as  his  subjedls 
feared  the  imperial  power,  they  dreaded  a  renewal 
of  war  more.  Many  gathered  to  resist  the  royal 
mandate.  The  king,  unused  to  such  objedlions, 
raised  an  army  to  quell  the  advocates  of  peace, 
and  placed  it  under  the  command  of  the  ambi- 
tious Amalickiah. 

The  peace-men  had  chosen  an  officer  named 
Lehonti  for  their  king  and  leader,  and  he  had 
assembled  his  followers  at  a  mountain  called 
Antipas.  Thither  Amalickiah  marched,  but  with 
no  intention  of  provoking  a  conflidl;  he  was 
working  for  the  good  feelings  of  the  entire 
Lamanite  people.  On  his  arrival  he  entered  into  a 
secret  correspondence  with  Lehonti,  in  which  he 
agreed  to  surrender  his  forces  on  condition  that  he 
should  be  appointed  second  in  command  of  the 
united  armies.  The  plan  succeeded.  Amalickiah 
surrendered  to  Lehonti  and  assumed  the  second 
position.  Lehonti  now  stood  in  the  way  of  his 
ambition;  it  was  but  a  little  thing  to  remove  him  : 
he  died  by  slow  poison  administered  by  Amalic- 
kiah's  direction . 

Amalickiah  now  assumed  supreme  command, 
and  at  the  head  of  his  forces  marched  towards 
the  Lamanite  capital.  The  king,  supposing  that 
the  approaching  hosts  had  been  raised  to  carry 
the  war  into  Zarahemla,  came  out  of  the  royal 
city  to  greet  and  congratulate  him.  As  the 
monarch  drew  near  he  was  treacherously  slain  by 
some  of  the  creatures  of  the  subtle  general,  who 
at  the  same  time  raised  the  hue  and  cry  that  the 
king's  own  servants  w^ere  the  authors  of  the  vile 
deed.  Amalickiah  assumed  all  the  airs  of  grief, 
affliction  and  righteous  indignation  that  he 
thought  would  best  suit  his  purpose.  He  next 
made  apparently  desperate,  but  purposely  in- 
effedlual,  efforts  to  capture  those  who  were 
charged  with  the  crime,  and  so  adroitly  did  he 
carry  out  his  schemes,  that  before  long  he  gained 


Amalickiah.  50 

the  affedlions  of  the  queen,  whom  he  married,  and 
was  recognized  by  the  Lamanites  as  their  king. 

AmaHckiah  now^  cherished  the  stupendous  de- 
sign of  subjugating  the  Nephites  and  ruHng  singly 
and  alone  from  ocean  to  ocean.  To  accom- 
plish this  iniquitous  purpose,  he  dispatched 
emissaries  in  all  directions,  whose  mission  was  to 
stir  up  the  angry  passions  of  the  populace  against 
the  Nephites.  When  this  base  objedl  was  suffi- 
ciently accomplished,  and  the  deluded  people  had 
become  clamorous  for  w^ar,  he  raised  an  immense 
army,  armed  and  equipped  with  an  excellence 
never  before  known  among  the  Lamanites.  This 
force  he  placed  under  the  command  of  Zoramite 
officers,  and  ordered  its  advance  into  the  western 
possessions  of  the  Nephites,  Ammonihah  and  Noah. 

This  war  was  a  disastrous  one  to  the  Laman- 
ites. It  failed  in  all  its  objedls,  and  cost  them 
many  lives.  Great  was  the  anger  of  Amalickiah 
at  this  miscarriage  of  his  schemes ;  he  cursed  God 
and  swore  he  would  yet  drink  the  blood  of 
Moroni.  But  it  was  not  until  B.  C.  67,  that  he 
was  able  to  carry  out  his  ambitious  proje6ls.  He 
then  commenced  an  invasion  of  the  country  of  the 
Nephites  with  an  army  which,  for  equipment  and 
discipline,  had  never  been  equaled  in  the  annals  of 
the  Lamanites.  While  other  officers  commanded 
in  the  west  and  south  he  personally  led  the  troops 
intended  for  the  subjugation  of  the  Nephite 
Atlantic  provinces.  In  this  invasion  he  was 
eminently  successful;  for  he  had  chosen  a  time  for 
his  operations  when  the  Nephite  commonwealth 
was  rent  by  internal  dissensions,  another  uprising 
having  taken  place  in  favor  of  a  monarchy.  One 
after  another  Amalickiah 's  forces  captured  the 
Nephite  cities  of  Moroni,  Nephihah,  Lehi,  Gid, 
Morianton,  Omner,  Mulek,  and  others  along  the 
coast,  until  toward  the  close  of  the  year  he 
reached  the  borders  of  the  land  Bountiful,  driv- 
ing the  forces  of  the  republic  before  him.    At  this 


Amalickiah.  51  Amalickiahites. 

point  he  was  met  by  Teancum  and  a  corps  of 
veterans  renowned  for  their  courage,  skill  and 
discipline.  The  Lamanite  leader  endeavored  to 
force  his  way  to  the  Isthmus,  with  the  intention  of 
occupying  the  northern  continent.  In  this  he  was 
foiled,  for  the  trained  valor  of  Teancum's  warriors 
was  too  much  for  that  of  Amalickiah's  half- 
savage  hordes.  All  day  the  fight  lasted,  and  at 
night  the  worn-out  soldiers  of  the  two  armies 
camped  close  together,  the  Lamanites  on  the  sea- 
beach,  and  the  Nephites  on  the  borders  of  the  land 
Bountiful. 

It  was  the  last  night  of  the  old  year,  accord- 
ing to  Nephite  reckoning.  The  great  heat  and 
the  terrible  efforts  of  the  day  had  overcome  both 
officers  and  men.  The  murmur  of  the  Atlantic's 
waves  sounded  a  soft  lullaby  in  the  ears  of 
Amalickiah  and  his  hosts,  who,  for  the  first  time 
during  the  campaign,  had  suffered  a  check  in  their 
triumphal  march.  Even  Amalickiah  slept;  but  not 
so  with  Teancum;  he  determined  by  one  desperate 
stroke  to  put  an  end  to  the  war;  or,  if  not  that, 
at  least  to  slay  the  cause  of  it.  Taking  one  serv- 
ant with  him,  he  secretly  stole  out  of  his  own 
camp  into  that  of  the  enemy.  A  deathlike  silence 
reigned  in  both.  Cautiously  and  unobserved  he 
searched  out  the  royal  tent.  There  lay  the  foe, 
there  lay  his  guards,  all  overcome  with  resistless 
fatigue.  To  draw  his  javelin,  thrust  it  into  the 
king's  heart  and  then  flee,  was  but  the  work  of  a 
moment,  and  so  adroitly  did  he  fulfil  his  purpose 
that  Amalickiah  died  without  a  struggle  or  a  cry, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  morning  that  his  guards 
discovered  that  the  hosts  of  Laman  were  without 
a  head.  His  warriors  then  hastily  retreated  to 
the  fortified  city  of  Mulek. 

Amalickiah  was  succeeded  on  the  Lamanitish 
throne  by  his  brother  Ammoron,  who  continued 
the  war  with  unrelenting  vindidliveness. 

AMALICKIAHITES.      The     followers     of 


Amaron.  52  Amgid. 

Amalickiah  in  his  efforts  to  destroy  the  Church,  to 
uproot  the  Nephite  commonwealth  and  estabHsh  a 
monarchy  in  its  stead.  Their  leader,  finding  that 
they  were  not  as  numerous  as  those  who  wished 
to  maintain  the  republic,  and  that  many  of  them 
doubted  the  justness  of  their  cause,  led  those  who 
would  follow  him  towards  the  land  of  Nephi,  with 
the  intention  of  joining  the  Lamanites.  Moroni, 
the  general  of  the  Nephites,  by  rapid  marches, 
reached  the  wilderness,  w^here  he  intercepted  them 
in  their  flight,  when  Amalickiah  and  a  few  others 
escaped  to  the  Lamanites,  while  the  great  ma- 
jority were  taken  prisoners  and  carried  back  to 
Zarahemla.  The  Amalickiahites  were  then  given  the 
opportunity  to  make  convenant  to  sustain  the 
cause  of  liberty  or  be  put  to  death.  There  were 
but  very  few  who  denied  the  covenant  of  freedom. 
(B.C.  73.) 

AMARON.  A  Nephite  prophet,  son  of  Omni, 
and  a  descendant  of  Jacob,  the  younger  brother  of 
Nephi.  He  resided  in  the  land  of  Nephi,  in  the 
third  and  fourth  centuries  before  Christ.  Amaron 
received  the  plates  of  Nephi  from  his  father,  and 
held  them  from  the  two  hundred  and  eighty-third 
to  the  three  hundred  and  twenty-first  year  of  the 
Nephite  annals,  when  he  transferred  them  to  his 
brother  Chemish.  Owing  to  the  increasing  wicked- 
ness of  the  Nephite  people,  the  Lord,  during 
Amaron's  days,  visited  them  in  great  judgment,  so 
that  the  more  wicked  part  were  destroyed,  but  he 
spared  the  righteous  and  delivered  them  out  of  the 
hands  of  their  enemies.  Of  Amaron's  private 
character  the  sacred  record  is  silent. 

AMGID.  A  king  of  the  Jaredites,  of  the 
dynasty  that  overthrew  the  reigning  monarch 
in  the  days  of  Hearthom.  In  Amgid's  days  a  des- 
cendant of  Hearthom,  named  Com,  having  first 
drawn  away  half  the  kingdom,  after  a  lapse  of 
forty-two  years  went  to  war  with  Amgid  for 
the  other  half.    The  war  lasted  many  years  and 


53  Aminadab. 

ended  in  Com  obtaining  power  over  the  remainder 
of  the  kingdom. 

AMINADAB.  A  Nephite  who,  in  early  life, 
belonged  to  the  Church  of  God.  From  it  he 
turned  away,  went  over  to  the  Lamanites  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  the  city  of  Lehi-Nephi, 
where  he  dwelt  B.  C.  30. 

When  the  two  prophets,  Nephi  and  Lehi,  the 
sons  of  Helaman,  came  into  the  land  of  Nephi  and 
were  there  cast  into  prison,  God  made  use  of 
Aminadab  as  an  instrument  in  explaining  the 
meaning  of  the  glorious  manifestations  of  His 
power  that  then  took  place.  We  may  therefore 
infer  that  Aminadab  was  not  radically  a  bad  man. 
Whether  he  was  in  the  prison  as  an  officer,  a  pris- 
oner, or  a  stranger  led  thither  by  curiosity  or  by 
sympathy  for  the  two  Nephites,  is  not  explained, 
but  we  find  him  there  when  the  earth  shook,  when 
the  voice  of  God  was  heard  from  heaven,  and  the 
other  wonderful  and  awful  manifestations  of  His 
presence  occurred.  Aminadab  w^as  apparently  the 
first  who  was  permitted  to  notice  that  the  faces  of 
the  prophets  shone  with  the  glory  of  God,  and 
that  they  were  conversing  with  angelic  beings. 
To  this  he  drew  the  attention  of  the  multitude, 
and  when  they  inquired  what  these  things  meant 
he  had  faith  and  intelligence  sufficient  to  explain 
the  situation  to  them,  and  to  instruct  them  in 
what  they  should  do  to  escape  the  terrible  cloud 
of  darkness  that  overspread  them.  Further,  he  in- 
struc?ted  them  in  the  principles  of  faith  in  the  com- 
ing Redeemer  and  of  repentance  for  past  misdeeds. 
It  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  Aminadab 
was  among  those  who  went  forth  from  the  prison 
bearing  joyous  testimony  to  what  they  had  seen 
and  heard,  through  which  testimony  thousands 
were  brought  to  a  knowledge  of,  and  obedience  to 
the  Gospel,  and  that  Aminadab  himself  again 
yielded  obedience  to  its  laws  and  remained  faithful 
thereto  to  the  end. 


Aminadi.  54  Amlicites. 

AMINADI.  A  Nephite,  one  of  the  progeni- 
tors of  the  prophet  Amulek.  We  have  no  record 
of  the  time  that  he  Hved,  but  it  must  have  been  in 
the  land  of  Nephi  before  the  Nephites  migrated  to 
Zarahemla,  as  he  was  at  least  four  generations 
separated  from  Amulek.  AH  that  is  known  of 
him  is  that  he  interpreted  certain  writings  written 
by  the  finger  of  God,  on  the  wall  of  the  temple, 
from  which  we  may  conclude  that  he  was  a  right- 
eous man,  probably  one  holding  the  holy  priest- 
hood. 

AMLICl.  The  first  Nephite,  in  the  days  of  the 
Judges,  who  sought  to  overturn  the  republic  and 
establish  a  monarchy,  (B.  C.  86),  Amlici's  am- 
bition was  to  be  king  of  the  Nephites,  but  the 
people  having  rejedled  his  pretensions  by  their 
votes,  his  followers  consecrated  him  king.  He 
then  raised  an  army  to  sustain  his  claims.  A 
battle  was  fought  near  the  hill  Amnihu  on  the 
east  of  the  river  Sidon,  betw^een  his  forces  and 
those  of  the  Nephites,  commanded  by  Alma,  the 
younger.  The  battle  was  a  hotly  contested  one, 
in  which  twelve  thousand,  five  hundred  and 
thirty-two  Amlicites  and  six  thousand,  five  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two  Nephites  were  slain.  The  next 
day  the  defeated  A  mlicities  joined  a  body  of  invad- 
ing Lamanites  in  the  land  Minon,  where  they 
unitedly  ravaged  the  country.  Alma's  troops 
followed  the  invaders  and  met  them  at  one  of  the 
crossings  of  the  river  Sidon.  Another  desperate 
battle  ensued,  during  which  Alma  met  Amlici  in 
single  combat  and  slew  him.  Amlici's  followers 
were  defeated  and  most  of  them  fled  to  a  portion 
of  the  northwest  v^ilderness,  known  as  Her- 
ttiounts,  were  many  died  and  were  devoured  by 
wild  beasts.  Amlici  is  represented  as  being  a  very 
cunning  and  worldly-wise  man,  and  as  belonging 
to  the  order  of  Nehor. 

AMLICITES.  The  followers  of  A/22/yci.  After 
their  dispersion,   and  their  flight  to  Hermounts, 


Ammah.  55  Ammaron. 

they  are  no  more  referred  to  b\^  the  Nephite  his- 
torians. In  fulfilment  of  the  word  of  the  Lord 
to  Nephi,  that  those  who  fought  against  him  and 
his  seed  should  have  a  mark  put  upon  them,  they 
marked  themselves  with  red  on  their  foreheads  as 
did  the  Lamanites,  but  they  did  not  shave  their 
heads  as  did  that  race.  Of  course  they  did  not 
realize  they  were  fulfiling  prophecy  when  they 
thus  adled  or  they  would  not  have  done  so,  as  it 
was  not  their  intention  to  fulfil  the  words  of 
those  from  whom  they  had  seceded. 

AMMAH.  A  Christian  Nephite  elder  who 
accompanied  the  four  sons  of  Mosiah  (  B.  C.  91 ) 
in  their  mission  to  the  Lamanites,  We  first  read 
of  him  preaching  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  village 
of  Ani-Anti,  and  when  rejedled  by  them  he,  with 
Aaron  and  others,  went  over  to  the  land  of  Mid- 
doni,  where  he  was  cast  into  prison,  and  with  his 
fellow-laborers  suffered  all  the  indignities  and  hard- 
ships there  inflidled  upon  those  devoted  servants 
of  God.  After  many  days'  imprisonment  they 
were  delivered  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Ammon  and  king  Lamoni.  When  the  various 
missionaries  recommenced  their  labors,  the  re- 
gions in  which  certain  ones  labored  are  stated, 
but  no  further  mention  is  made  of  Ammah  or  his 
ministrations ;  yet  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  he 
continued  his  faithful  labors  unto  the  end  of  this 
lengthy  and  most  important  missii^n 

AMMARON,  was  the  son  of  Amos  the  elder, 
a  descendant  of  Alma  and  Nephi,  He  received  the 
sacred  records  from  his  brother  Amos,  the  younger 
(A.  C.  306).  Owing  to  the  increasing  depravity 
and  vileness  of  the  Nephites,  he  was  constrained 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  hide  up  all  the  sacred  things 
which  had  been  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation  (A.  C.  321).  The  place  where  he  hid 
them  is  said  to  have  been  in  the  land  Antum,  in  a 
hill*' which  shall  be  called  Shim."  After  he  had 
hidden  them  up,  he  informed  Mormon,  then  a  child 


Ammon.  56 

ten  years  old,  of  what  he  had  done,  and  placed 
the  buried  treasures  in  his  charge.  He  instrudled 
Mormon  to  go  when  he  was  about  twenty-four 
years  old,  to  the  hill  where  they  were  hidden,  and 
take  the  plates  of  Nephi  and  record  thereon  what 
he  had  observed  *' concerning  the  people."  The  re- 
mainder of  the  records,  etc., he  was  to  leave  where 
they  were.  After  this  w^e  have  no  information  of 
Ammaron's  life.  He  must  have  been  a  very  old 
man,  as  his  father  Amos  died  126  years  before  the 
time  that  he  buried  the  sacred  engravings. 

AMMON.  A  descendent  of  Zarahemla,  ( either 
his  son  or  grandson, )  who  led  a  party  of  sixteen 
picked  men  from  Zarahemla  to  Lehi-Nephi  in  the 
reign  of  Mosiah  II,  in  the  endeavor  to  discover 
what  had  become  of  the  people  of  Zeniff,  They 
were  unacquainted  with  the  road  and  wandered 
for  forty  days  in  the  wilderness  before  they  reached 
their  destination.  Ammon  then  chose  three  com- 
panions, Amaleki,  Helem  and  Hem,  to  go  forward 
and  reconnoiter.  They  were  discovered  by  king 
Limhi  and  his  guards  when  near  the  cit^^  and  cast 
into  prison,  being  mistaken  for  the  apostate  priests 
of  king  Noah.  After  two  days  they  were  again 
brought  before  the  king,  when  mutual  explana- 
tions ensued  and  Ammon  to  his  joy  found  that  he 
had  reached  those  for  whom  he  was  in  search. 
But  Limhi's  people  were  in  great  distress,  and  in 
bondage  to  the  Lamanites.  The  next  day  Limhi 
assembled  his  people  at  the  temple,  that  they 
might  all  hear  of  the  prosperity  of  their  brethren 
in  Zarahemla,  at  the  recital  of  which  they  greatly 
rejoiced.  Limhi  and  his  people  also  wished  to 
make  covenant  with  God  by  baptism,  but  there 
was  no  one  among  them  authorized  to  administer 
this  ordinance,  and  Ammon  would  not,  consider- 
ing himself  an  unworthy  servant.  Their  next 
study  was  to  escape  from  their  Lamanitish  task- 
masters, which  they  shortly  afterwards  effedled 
with  the  aid  of  Ammon  and  Gideon ;  Ammon  and 


57  Ammon. 

his  brethren  guiding  them  through  the  wilderness 
to  the  land  of  Zarahemla  (B.  C.  112). 

AMMON.  The  most  conspicuous  of  the  sons 
of  king  Mosiah  II,  and  the  ruling  spirit  in  the 
great  mission  undertaken  by  them  to  convert  the 
Lamanites. 

Ammon  was  bom  in  the  land  of  Zarahemla, 
probably  about  120  B.  C.  Like  his  brothers,  he 
was,  in  early  life,  headstrong  and  disobedient,  and 
a  persecutor  of  the  Saints.  He  w^as  brought  to  an 
understanding  of  his  perilous  position  by  the  inter- 
vention of  an  angel  of  the  Lord,  who  appeared  to 
a  company  of  young  men  who  were  going  about 
molesting  the  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
among  whom  were  Alma,  the  younger,  and  Mo- 
siah's  four  sons.  This  heavenly  manifestation  had 
the  eifedl  of  entirely  changing  the  course  of  life  of 
these  young  men.  From  this  time  the\^  bent  aU 
the  energies  of  their  youth,  and  the  experience  of 
their  riper  years,  to  the  reparation  of  the  wrongs 
that  they  had  done,  and  to  the  spread  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Gospel.  First,  they  ministered  among 
the  Nephites  in  the  land  of  Zaiahemla,  and  then 
determined  on  the  more  hazardous  task  of  carry- 
ing those  same  truths  to  the  benighted  Lamanites 
in  the  land  of  Nephi.  At  first  there  was  much 
opposition  to  this  venture,  but  Mosiah,  their 
father,  having  received  by  revelation  assurances  of 
Divine  protection,  the  young  men  started  on  their 
perilous  journey  (B.  C.  91)  into  the  southern  wil- 
derness. 

They  carried  w^ith  them  their  bows  andarrow^s 
and  other  weapons,  not  to  wage  war,  but  to  kill 
game  for  their  food  in  the  wilderness  Their 
journey  was  a  tedious  one;  they  lost  their  way 
and  almost  lost  heart,  and  indeed  were  on  the 
point  of  returning  when  they  received  Divine  as- 
surance of  their  ultimate  success.  Nerved  by  this 
assurance,  and  with  much  fasting  and  prayer, 
they  continued  their  wanderings,  and  before  long 


Ammon.  58 

reached  the  liorders  of  the  Lamanites.  Commend- 
ing themselves  to  God  they  there  separated,  each 
one  trusting  to  the  Lord  to  guide  him  to  the 
place  where  he  could  best  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses of  Heaven. 

Ammon  entered  the  Lamanite  territory  at  a 
land  called  Ishmael.  Here  Lamoni  was  the  chief 
ruler,  under  his  father,  who  was  king  of  all  the 
Lamanites.  Ammon  was  no  sooner  discovered 
than  he  was  taken,  bound  with  cords  and  con- 
dudled  into  the  presence  of  Lamoni.  It  was  the 
custom  of  the  Lamanites  to  so  use  every  Nephite 
they  captured,  and  it  rested  with  the  whim  of  the 
king  whether  the  captive  be  slain,  imprisoned  or 
sent  out  of  the  country.  The  king's  will  and 
pleasure  appear  to  have  been  the  only  law  on  such 
matters. 

Through  God's  grace,  Ammon  found  favor  in 
the  eyes  of  Lamoni,  and,  learning  that  it  was  his 
desire  to  reside  among  the  Lamanites,  the  king 
offered  him  one  of  his  daughters  to  wife.  Ammon 
courteously  declined  this  intended  honor  and 
begged  to  be  accepted  as  one  of  the  king's  serv- 
ants, which  arrangement  pleased  Lamoni,  and 
Ammon  was  placed  in  that  part  of  the  royal 
household  that  had  charge  of  the  monarch's  flocks 
and  herds.  Lamoni  was  rich  in  livestock,  probably 
the  result  of  the  taxation  of  the  people,  but  even 
the  king's  property  was  not  secure  from  theft. 
Marauding  bands  would  watch  for  his  numerous 
cattle  as  the^'  approached  their  watering  places. 
Then  with  yell  and  prolonged  shout  they  would 
stampede  the  herds  and  drive  away  all  they  could, 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  king's  servants.  These 
would  gather  up  what  few  animals,  if  any,  they 
found,  and  return  to  the  king  in  the  full  expedl- 
ancy  of  being  made  to  pay  for  the  loss  by  the  for- 
feit of  their  lives.  They  were  seldom  disappointed, 
for  Lamoni  or  some  of  his  predecessors  had  estab- 
lished   a    somewhat   unique   criminal    code  with 


59  Ammon. 

regard  to  stealing  the  royal  cattle.  They  had 
adopted  the  idea  that  it  was  easier  and  cheaper  to 
make  the  herdsmen  responsible  for  the  losses  and 
punish  them  therefor,  than  to  hunt  out  and  cap- 
ture the  thieves.  It  had  at  least  one  virtue,  it 
prevented  collusion  between  the  robbers  and  the 
servants;  but  it  produced  much  dissatisfaction 
among  Lamoni's  subjedls. 

On  the  third  day  of  Ammon's  service,  one  of 
these  raids  was  made  on  the  king'^s  cattle  as  they 
were  being  taken  to  the  waters  of  Sebus,  the 
common  watering  place.  The  cattle  fled  in  all 
diredlions,  and  the  dispirited  servants,  with  the 
fear  of  death  before  their  eyes,  sat  down  and  wept 
instead  of  attempting  to  stay  them.  Ammon 
perceived  that  this  was  his  opportunity.  He  first 
reasoned  with  the  servants,  then  encouraged  them, 
and  having  sufficiently  aroused  their  feelings,  he 
led  them  in  the  attempt  to  head  off  the  flying 
herds.  With  much  exertion  they  succeeded. 
The  cattle  were  all  gathered,  but  the  robbers  still 
waited  at  the  watering  place  to  renew  the  attack 
when  they  drew  near  enough.  Ammon  perceiving 
this,  placed  the  servants  at  various  points  on  the 
outside  of  the  flocks  and  he  himself  went  forward 
to  contend  with  the  robbers.  Though  they  were 
many,  he  knew  he  was  more  powerful  than  them 
all,  for  God  was  with  him.  The  idea  of  one  man 
withstanding  so  many  was  supremely  ridiculous 
to  the  robbers.  But  as  one  after  another  fell  be- 
fore his  unerring  aim,  they  were  astonished,  and 
dreaded  him  as  something  more  than  human. 
Enraged  at  the  loss  of  six  of  their  number,  they 
rushed  upon  him  in  a  body,  determined  to  crush 
him  with  their  clubs.  Ammon,  undaunted,  drew 
his  sword  and  awaited  the  onslaught.  Their 
leader  fell  dead  at  his  feet,  and  as  one  after  an- 
other raised  their  clubs,  Ammon  struck  off"  their 
arms  until  none  dared  to  approach  him,  but  in- 
stead retreated  afar  off". 


Ammon.  60 

It  was  a  strange  procession  that  returned  to 
the  palace.  The  fears  of  the  herdsmen  had  been 
turned  to  joy,  and  they  marched  in  triumph  into 
the  presence  of  the  king,  with  the  arms  of  the 
robbers  as  testimonials  of  the  truth  of  the  story 
of  Ammon's  prowess.  Doubtless  they  did  not 
diminish  the  telling  points  in  [the  narrative ;  the 
numbers  of  the  band,  the  courage  and  strength  of 
the  Nephite,  were  each  dilated  upon  with  the  vivid- 
ness of  superstitious  imagination.  When  the  king- 
had  heard  their  marvelous  story  his  heart  was 
troubled,  and  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Am- 
mon must  be  the  Great  Spirit,  of  whose  existence 
he  had  an  undefined  idea.  He  trembled  at  the 
thought  that  perhaps  this  Spirit  had  come  to 
punish  him  because  of  the  number  of  his  servants 
whom  he  had  slain  for  permitting  his  cattle  to  be 
stolen. 

Notwithstanding  his  misgivings,  Lamoni  de- 
sired to  see  Ammon,  who, acting  as  though  nothing 
particular  had  happened,  was  preparing  the  king's 
horses  and  chariots,  as  the  servants  had  been 
dire(5led.  When  he  entered  the  royal  presence,  the 
king  was  too  much  filled  with  emotion  to  speak. 
More  than  once  Ammon  called  the  king's  attention 
to  the  fadl  that  he  stood  before  him,  as  he  had  been 
requested,  and  v^ished  to  knov^  what  were  his 
commands.  But  he  elicited  no  response.  At  last, 
perceiving  the  monarch's  thoughts,  he  began  to 
question  Lamoni  regarding  sacred  things,  and 
afterwards  to  expound  to  him  the  principles  of 
life  and  salvation.  Lamoni  listened  and  believed. 
He  was  conscience-stricken,  and  with  all  the 
strength  of  his  new-born  faith,  he  humbly  begged 
that  the  Lord  would  show  that  same  mercy  to 
him  and  to  his  people  that  he  had  shown  to  the 
Nephites.  Overcome  with  the  intensity  of  his  feel- 
ings he  sank  to  the  earth  as  in  a  trance.  In  this 
state  he  was  carried  to  his  wife,  who,  with  her 
children,  anxiously  watched  over  him  for  two  days 


61  Ammon. 

and  two  nights,  awaiting  his  return  to  conscious- 
ness. There  was  great  diversity  of  opinion 
among  his  retainers  as  to  what  troubled  the  king. 
Some  said  the  power  of  the  Great  Spirit  was  upon 
him,  others  that  an  evil  power  possessed  him,  yet 
others  asserted  that  he  was  dead,  and  with  re- 
markable acuteness  of  smell  affirmed.  He  stinketh. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  they  had  resolved  to  lay 
him  away  in  the  sepulchre,  when  the  queen  sent 
for  Ammon  and  pleaded  with  him  in  her  husband's 
behalf.  Ammon  gave  her  the  joj^ful  assurance:  He  is 
not  dead,  but  sleepeth  in  God,  and  to-morrow  he 
shall  rise  again.  Then  he  asked,  Belie  vest  thou 
this?  She  answered,  I  have  no  witness,  save  thy 
word  and  the  word  of  our  servants ;  nevertheless 
I  believe  it  shall  be  according  as  thou  hast  said. 
Then  Ammon  blessed  her,  and  told  her  that  there 
had  not  been  such  great  faith  among  all  the  people 
of  the  Nephites. 

So  the  queen  lovingly  continued  her  watch  by 
the  bedside  of  her  husband  until  the  appointed  hour. 
Lamoni  then  arose,  as  Ammon  had  foretold.  His 
soul  was  filled  with  heavenly  joy.  His  first  words 
were  of  praise  to  God,  his  next  were  blessings  on 
his  faithful  wife,  whose  faith  he  felt  or  knew.  He 
testified  to  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer,  of  whose 
greatness,  glory,  power  and  mercy  he  had  learned 
w^hile  in  the  spirit.  His  body  was  too  weak  for 
the  realities  of  eternity  that  filled  his  heart.  Again 
he  sank  overpowered  to  the  earth,  and  the  same 
spirit  overcame  his  wife  also.  Ammon's  rejoicing 
heart  swelled  within  him  as  he  heard  and  witness- 
ed these  things ;  he  fell  upon  his  knees  and  poured 
out  his  soul  in  praise  and  thanksgiving,  until  he 
also  could  not  contain  the  brightness  of  the  glory, 
the  completeness  of  the  joy  that  overwhelmed 
him.  Unconscious  of  all  earthly  things  he  sank  be- 
side the  royal  pair.  The  same  spirit  of  unmeas- 
ured joy  then  fell  upon  all  present,. with  the  same 
results.    There  was  but  one  exception,  a  Lam  an- 


Ammon.  62 

itish  woman,  named  Abish,  who  had  been  convert- 
ed to  the  Lord  many  jears  before,  but  kept  the 
secret  in  her  own  bosom.  She  comprehended  the 
why  and  wherefore  of  this  strange  scene.  She  saw 
the  workings  of  the  Almighty  through  which  the 
untutored  minds  of  the  Lamanites  could  be 
brought  to  an  understanding  of  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion. From  house  to  house  she  went,  calling  the 
people  to  witness  what  had  occurred  in  the  palace. 
They  gathered  at  her  call,  but  as  might  naturally 
be  expecfted,  their  impressions  were  very  conflidl- 
ing.  Some  said  one  thing,  some  another;  some 
argued  for  good,  some  for  evil;  to  some,  Ammon 
was  a  god,  to  others,  a  demon.  One  man,  whose 
brother  was  slain  at  the  waters  of  Sebus,drew  his 
sword  and  attempted  to  slay  Ammon,  but  was 
struck  dead  by  an  unseen  power  before  he  could 
carry  his  rash  intent  into  adlion.  So  fierce  was 
the  contention,  so  angry  grew  the  controversy, 
that  Abish,  fearing  greater  trouble,  by  an  inspira- 
tion took  hold  of  the  hand  of  the  queen,  w^ho 
thereupon  arose  to  her  feet.  The  queen's  first 
thought  was  of  her  husband.  She  took  his  hand 
and  raised  him  up,  and  ere  long  all  who  had 
been  reposing  in  the  spirit  stood  upon  their  feet. 
The  king,  the  queen,  the  servants,  all  rejoiced  with 
joy  unspeakable.  They  all  bore  testimony  to  God's 
abundant  love  and  goodness,  and  some  declared 
that  holy  angels  had  visited  them.  Still  the  con- 
tention was  not  entirely  appeased  until  Lamoni 
stood  forth  and  explained  to  them  the  Divine  mys- 
teries of  which  they  were  so  ignorant.  Many  be- 
lieved, others  did  not,  but  Ammon  had  the  indescrib- 
able happiness  of  shortly  after  establishing  a 
church  to  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the  people  of 
the  land  of  Ishmael.  Ammon's  humility,  faith  and 
patience  were  bringing  forth  their  fruit ;  while  his 
soul  gathered  faith  and  strength  in  the  fulfilment 
of  the  promises  of  the  great  Jehovah  in  answer  to 
the  pleadings  of  his  faithful,  loving  father. 


63  Ammon. 

When  the  church  was  satisfa(5lorilyestabhshed 
in  the  land  of  Ishmael,  Lamoni  arranged  to  pay 
a  visit  to  his  father,  the  great  king  in  the  land  of 
Nephi,  to  whom  he  was  desirous  of  introducing 
Amnion.  However,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  warned 
his  servant  not  to  go,  but  instead  thereof  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  land  of  Middoni,  where  his  brother 
Aaron  and  other  missionaries  were  suffering  in 
prison.  When  Lamoni  heard  of  Ammon 's  inten- 
tion, and  the  cause  thereof,  he  decided  to  accom- 
pany him.  He  felt  that  he  could  be  of  service  in 
delivering  the  prisoners,  as  Antiomno,  the  king  of 
Middoni,  was  one  of  his  special  friends,  and  likely 
to  grant  any  favor  he  might  ask.  They  accord- 
ingly started  on  their  errand  of  mercy,  but  on 
their  way  were  surprised  to  meet  Lamoni 's  father, 
who  grew  exceedingly  angry  when  he  found 
Ammon  in  the  company  of  his  son.  All  the  hatred 
born  and  nurtured  of  false  tradition  boiled  up  in 
his  breast.  He  listened  impatiently  to  Lamoni's 
stor\^  of  Ammon 's  visit  and  its  fruits,  and  when 
it  was  finished  he  broke  out  in  a  torrent  of  abuse 
tow^ards  the  Nephite  ''son  of  a  liar,"  as  he  un- 
graciously styled  him,  and  ordered  Lamoni  to  slay 
him.  Lamoni  at  once  refused  to  become  the  mur- 
derer of  his  most  loved  friend,  whereupon  the  old 
monarch,  in  the  blind  fury  of  his  anger,  turned 
upon  his  own  son,  and  would  have  killed  him  if 
Ammon  had  not  interposed.  Little  used  to  con- 
troversy, much  less  to  direct  opposition,  the  king 
was  not  softened  by  Ammon's  interference. 
Savagely  he  turned  upon  him,  but  youth,  strength, 
dexterity,  and  above  all  the  protecting  care  of  the 
Lord,  were  with  Ammon,  and  he  struck  the  king's 
sword  arm  so  heavy  a  blow  that  it  fell  useless  at 
his  side.  Realizing  he  was  now  in  the  power  of 
the  man  he  had  so  foully  abused,  he  made  abun- 
dant promises,  even  to  half  his  kingdom,  if -his  life 
were  spared.  This  boon  Ammon  immediately 
granted,  asking  only  favors  for  Lamoni  and  his 


Ammon.  64 

own  imprisoned  brethren.  The  king,  unused  to 
such  generosity  and  manly  love,  granted  all  his 
requests,  and  when  he  proceeded  on  his  journey 
his  mind  was  filled  with  refledlions  regarding 
Ammon's  courage  and  great  love  for  his  son.  He 
was  also  troubled  in  his  heart  concerning  certain 
expressions  of  Ammon  on  doArinal  points,  which 
opened  up  ideas  that  were  entirely  new  to  his 
mind. 

Lamoni  and  Ammon  continued  their  journey 
to  Middoni,  where,  by  God's  grace,  they  found 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  king  Antiomno,  and  by  his 
command  the  missionaries  were  released  from  the 
horrors  of  their  prison  house. 

After  his  release  Aaron,  with  others,  visited  the 
old  king.  Their  visit  ended  in  his  conversion,  and 
the  issuance  of  a  ro3'al  proclamation  granting  full 
religious  liberty  to  all  dwelling  within  the  borders 
of  his  dominions.  This  was  followed  by  a  re- 
bellion of  the  unconverted  Lamanites,  egged  on  by 
Nephite  apostates,  resulting  in  two  series  of 
massacres  of  the  Christian  Lamanites,  who  un- 
resistingly fell  victims  to  the  rage  and  hate  of 
their  unrepentant  fellow^  countrymen.  During  this 
period  the  old  king  died  and  he  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  Anti-Nephi-Lehi  as  ruler  of  the  Christian 
portion  of  the  Lamanites. 

Ammon  and  his  brethren  w^ere  not  willing  to 
have  the  disciples  continually  harassed  and  even- 
tualty  exterminated;  they  judged  that  the  Lord, 
having  so  thoroughly  tried  the  faith  of  this  de- 
voted people,  would  provide  some  way  of  escape. 
Ammon  counseled  with  the  king,  and  it  was 
thought  better  to  forsake  their  all  so  far  as  world- 
ly possessions  were  concerned,  than  to  remain  and 
sacrifice  their  lives.  But  first  they  would  inquire 
of  the  Lord.  Ammon  did  so  and  the  Lord  said, 
Get  this  people  out  of  this  land,  that  they  perish 
not,  for  Satan  has  great  hold  of  the  hearts  of  the 
Amalekites,  who  do  stir    up    the    Lamanites  to 


Ammon.  65  Ammon,  Children  of, 

anger  against  their  brethren  to  slay  them ;  there- 
fore get  thee  out  of  this  land ;  and  blessed  are  the 
people  of  this  generation,  for  I  will  preserve  them. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  thus  received  was  joy- 
fully obeyed.  The  Ammonites  gathered  up  their 
flocks  and  herds  and  departed  into  the  wilder- 
ness that  lay  between  the  lands  of  Nephi  and 
Zarahemla.  There  they  rested  while  Ammon  and 
his  brethren  went  forward  and  treated  with  the 
Nephites  in  behalf  of  the  persecuted  hosts  they 
had  left  behind.  The  people,  by  united  voice, 
gladly  welcomed  their  co-religionists  and  set 
apart  the  land  of  Jershon  as  their  inheritance. 
Thither  the  Ammonites^  with  happy  feet  repaired 
(B.  C.  77),  and  there  Ammon  established  his  home 
and  became  their  local  presiding  High  Priest. 

In  later  years  we  have  occasional  references  to 
Ammon.  In  B.  C.  75,  Korihor,  the  Anti-Christ, 
endeavored  to  intrude  his  soul-destroying  doc- 
trines upon  the  people  of  Ammon,  But  they 
quickly  took  him,  bound  him,  and  carried  him  be- 
fore Ammon,  who  expelled  him  beyond  the  bor- 
ders of  Jershon.  Later  in  that  same  year  he  ac- 
companied Alma  in  his  memorable  mission  to  the 
Zoramites  in  the  land  of  Antionum,  returning 
to  his  people  in  Jershon  when  that  mission  was 
ended.  He  afterwards  accompanied  Alma  to 
the  land  of  Zarahemla,  after  which  we  lose 
sight  of  him,  as  nothing  is  said  of  his  further 
labors  or  death. 

Ammon  was  one  of  the  greatest,  most  lovable 
characters  of  Nephi te  history.  Full  of  zeal,  faith, 
charity,  disinterestedness  and  love,  yet  w^ithal  a 
man  of  good  judgment  and  great  wisdom;  he  left 
a  broad,  bright  mark  in  the  history  of  his  people, 
that  lasted  until  the  Messiah  came  and  estab- 
lished more  completely  the  perfedl  law  of  the  Gos- 
pel. 

AMMON,  CHILDREN  OF.  A  people  des- 
cended from  Lot.    They  are  mentioned  but  once 


Ammonites.  66  Ammonihah. 

in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (II  Nephi,  21:  14),  in  a 
quotation  from  the  11th  chapter  of  Isaiah. 

AMMONITES,  or  PEOPLE  OF  AMMON. 

The  Christian  Lamanites  or  people  of  Anti-Nephi- 
Lehi.  The  name  of  Ammonites  was  given  to  them 
by  the  Nephites  because  Ammon  was  the  chief 
instrument  in  their  conversion.  When  they  left 
their  homes  in  the  land  of  Nephi  (B.  C.  78)  they 
settled,  by  permission  of  the  Nephites,  in  the  land 
of  Jershon,  which  was  considered  a  place  of 
security  for  them,  as  it  lay  far  to  the  north  of 
their  former  homes,  and  the  great  bod^^  of  the 
Nephite  people  inhabited  the  intervening  regions. 
In  Jershon,  Ammon  became  their  High  Priest. 
About  the  year  B.  C.  76,  they  were  visited  by  the 
Anti-Christ  Korihor,  but  they  gave  no  heed  to  his 
teachings,  and  he  was,  by  Ammon's  direcftion,  re- 
moved beyond  their  borders.  In  the  next  year, 
many  of  the  persecuted  Zoramites  found  refuge  in 
their  territory,  and  for  the  protection  and  aid 
they  afforded  them  they  were  threatened  with 
war.  To  avoid  being  involved  in  this  strife  and 
being  compelled  to  break  their  oaths  of  non-resist- 
ance, they  moved  into  the  land  of  Melek,  and  the 
armies  of  the  Nephites  occupied  Jershon  (B.  C.  74). 
From  time  to  time  they  received  accessions  to  their 
numbers  from  Lamanite  prisoners  of  war  and 
others  who  preferred  to  remain  with  the  Nephites. 
To  them  also  the  servants  of  the  king  of  the 
Lamanites  repaired  in  the  days  of  Amalickiah 
when  they  were  falsely  charged  with  his  murder. 
In  later  3^ears  (B.  C.  46),  numbers  of  them  emi- 
grated to  the  northern  continent.  The  two 
thousand  young  men  who  fought  so  valiantly 
under  Helaman  (B.  C.  65),  in  the  lengthened  war 
commenced  by  Amalickiah^  were  of  this  people.  In 
process  of  time  the3^  became  absorbed  into  the 
Nephite  race. 

AMMONIHAH.    The  founder  of  the  City  of 
Ammonihah.    We  have  no  particulars  of  his  life. 


Ammonihah,  city  of    67  ArQmonihah,landof 

AMMONIHAH,  CITY  OF.  A  western  city 
of  the  Nephites,  situated  in  the  same  region  as  the 
cities  of  Melek,  Noah,  and  Aaron.  It  was  inhabited 
almost  exclusively  by  the  followers  of  Nehor,  and 
was  notorious  for  the  wickednej^s  of  its  inhab- 
itants. In  the  year  B.  C.  82  it  was  visited  by 
Alma,  but  his  words  were  rejedled.  He  left  the 
city  to  minister  elsewhere,  but  was  commanded  by 
an  angel  to  return,  which  he  did,  and  was  enter- 
tained by  one  of  its  prominent  citizens  named 
Amukk.  Thesetwotogetherproclaimed  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Ammonihah  the  word  of  the  Lord  and  the 
terrible  penalty  that  would  follow  its  rejec^tion. 
Their  words  were  scorned,  their  warning  ridiculed, 
and  they  were  cast  into  prison,  while  the  few  that 
had  believed  were  either  driven  out  of  the  city,  or 
burned  at  the  stake.  Alma  and  Amulek  were  ul- 
timately delivered  by  the  power  of  God,  when  the 
prison  in  which  they  were  confined  was  destroyed 
by  an  earthquake,  and  all  except  themselves,  who 
were  therein,  were  killed.  The  two  prophets  then 
left  the  city.  Next  year,  in  accordance  with  the 
words  of  Alma,  the  Lamanites  suddenly  attacked 
and  utterly  destroyed  the  city  by  fire.  All  its  people 
—  babe  and  grandsire,  matron  and  maid  —  were 
burned,  as  they  had  previously  martyred  those  who 
believed  in  the  Gospel  message  delivered  by  Alma 
and  Amulek.  Zeezrom,  the  lawyer,  was  a  citizen 
of  Ammonihah,  After  the  place  where  Ammonihah 
stood  had  lain  desolate  for  a  number  of  years  it 
was  rebuilt  and  strongly  fortified.  In  B.  C,  73 
the  armies  of  the  Lamanites  came  against  it,  but 
finding  how  strongly  Moroni  had  fortified  it  they 
retired  without  making  an  attack. 

AMMONIHAH, LAND  OF.  Thecountryim- 
mediately  surrounding  the  city  of  the  same  name. 
It  lay  between  the  river  Sidon  and  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  but  exadlly  where  cannot  be  determined. 
It  was  called  after  a  man  named  Ammonihah,  who 
was  the  founder  of  the  city.    In  the  same  region 


Ammonihahites.  68  Ammoron. 

were  Melek,  Noah,  and  Aaron,  and  the  great 
western  wilderness.  When  Alma  had  made  the 
three  days' journey  spoken  of  under  head  of  Melek, 
he  reached  Ammonihah.  From  the  text  of  the 
passage  some  conclude  that  Alma  traveled  north- 
ward from  Melek,  but  to  us  it  conveys  the  idea 
that  the  prophet  journeyed  three  days  westward 
along  or  near  the  northern  boundary  ol  that  land. 
We  are  confirmed. in  this  opinion  by  the  statement 
made  in  another  place  regarding  Ammonihah's 
proximity  to  that  portion  of  the  wilderness  which 
ran  along  the  sea  shore  (Alma  xxii:  27).  In  Alma 
(xW:  2),  it  is  stated:  The  armies  of  the  Laman- 
ites  had  come  in  upon  the  wilderness  side,  into  the 
borders  of  the  land,  even  into  the  city  of  Ammoni- 
hah. If  Ammonihah  had  been  situated  three 
days'  journey  north  of  Melek,  we  suggest  that  it 
could  not  have  been  near  that  portion  of  the 
wilderness  which  the  Lamanites  so  easily  reached 
without  discovery ;  for  a  march  due  north  would 
have  taken  them  close  to,  or  adlually  through  the 
lands  of  Minon,  Noah,  Melek  and  Zarahemla,  the 
most  thickly  populated  portions  of  the  country; 
or,  to  have  avoided  these,  they  must  have  taken 
a  circuitous  route  of  immense  length  and  great 
danger.  Then,  when  they  attempted  to  retire, 
their  retreat,  owing  to  their  great  distance  from 
Nephi,  would  have  most  assuredly  been  cut  off,  as 
w^as  the  case  with  the  Lamanite  general  Corian- 
tumr  under  these  conditions. 

AMMONIHAHITES.  The  people  inhabiting 
the  land  and  city  of  Ammonihah.  They  were 
utterly  destroyed  with  their  city  by  the  invading 
hosts  of  the  Lamanites  (B.  C,  82),  in  fulfilment  of 
the  word  of  the  Lord  through  Alma  and  Amulek. 

AMMORON.  A  Nephite  traitor  and  apos- 
tate. He  was  a  descendant  of  Zoram,  the  servant 
of  Laban,  and  the  brother  of  Amalickiah,  whom 
he  succeeded  on  the  Lamanite  throne,  (B.  C.  66). 
He  was  slain  by  Teancum,  the  Nephite  general,  in 


Amnigaddah.  69  Amnor. 

the  city  of  Moroni,  and  was  succeeded  b}^  his  son 
Tubaloth  {B.C.  61). 

Ammoron  is  not  mentioned  until  the  death  of 
his  brother;  then  we  are  told  he  left  the  land  of 
Zarahemla,  repaired  to  the  land  of  Nephi,  in- 
formed the  widowed  queen  of  her  loss,  and 
gathered  a  vast  host  of  men  to  continue  the  w  ar, 
especially  on  the  western  border.  He  determined 
to  carry  on  hostilities  with  unabated  vigor,  for  a 
time  taking  personal  command  in  the  west; but  he 
does  not  appear  to  have  possessed  the  military 
skill  and  genius  of  his  brother,  for  during  his  reign 
the  Nephites  reconquered  nearh^  all  the  territory 
and  recaptured  nearly  all  the  cities  that  had  been 
wrested  from  them  by  Amalickiah.  Later  on  in 
the  war,  when  the  Lamanite  invaders  on  the  east 
coast  had  all  been  driven  to  the  land  of  Moroni, 
Ammoron  was  with  them,  and  it  was  in  the  city 
of  that  name  that  he  was  slain  with  a  javelin  by 
Teancnm.  Ammoron  is  brought  most  promi- 
nently before  the  reader  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
through  the  insertion  of  the  correspondence  that 
passed  between  him  and  Moroni  regarding  an  ex- 
change of  prisoners  of  war.  In  this  correspond- 
ence his  charadler  is  very  clearly  shown,  (Alma, 
chap.  54). 

AMNIGADDAH.  A  Jaredite  king,  the  son 
of  Aaron  J  and  the  father  of  Coriantum.  His 
father,  himself  and  his  son  were  kept  prisoners  all 
their  lives  by  the  dynasty  that  had  usurped  the 
throne.  In  his  grandson  Conies  days,  the  king- 
dom was  recovered. 

AMNIHU.  A  hill  on  the  east  of  the  river 
Sidon,  near  which  a  desperate  battle  was  fought 
(B.  C.  87),  between  the  Nephites  and  Amlicites,  in 
which  more  than  19,000  warriors  were  slain. 
The  Nephites,  who  were  commanded  by  Alma, 
were  the  vi(5lors. 

AMNOR.  A  Nephite captain, w^ho, with  others, 
was  sent  out  by  Alma  to  watch  the  Amlicites 


Amoron.  70         Amos,  the  elder. 

after  the  battle  at  Atnnihu.  Next  day,  they  re- 
turned and  reported  that  the  Amlicites  had  joined 
an  invading  host  of  Lamanites,  and  that  together 
they  were  hastening  towards  Zarahemla,  and 
ravagingthe  country  {Minon)  through  which  they 
passed  (B.  C.  87). 

AMORON.  A  Nephite  military  officer  or 
messenger,  who  conveyed  to  Mormon  the  tidings 
of  the  horrible  atrocities  committed  by  the 
Lamanites  on  the  Nephite  prisoners — men,  women, 
and  children — captured  by  them  in  the  tower  of 
Sherrizah.  This  event  took  place  about  the  middle 
of  the  fourth  century  after  Christ.  Amoron's 
name  is  mentioned  but  once,  in  Mormon's  second 
epistle  to  his  son  Moroni. 

AMOS,  THE  ELDER.  Amos  was  the  son  of 
Nephi,  the  son  of  Nephi,  the  Apostle.  For  eighty- 
four  years  (from  A.  C.  110  to  A.  C.  194)  he  was  the 
custodian  of  the  sacred  records  and  the  other  holy 
things.  He  lived  in  the  days  of  the  Nephites' 
greatest  prosperity  and  happiness.  The  perfedl 
law  of  righteousness  was  still  their  only  guide. 
But  before  he  passed  away  to  his  heavenly  home, 
a  small  cloud  had  appeared  upon  the  horizon, 
fatal  harbinger  of  the  approaching  devastating 
hurricane.  A  few,  weary  of  the  uninterrupted 
bliss,  the  perfedl  harmony,  the  universal  love  that 
everywhere  prevailed,  seceded  from  the  Church  and 
took  upon  them  the  name  of  Lamanites,  which  ill- 
boding  name  had  only  been  known  to  the  Ne- 
phites by  tradition  for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

There  is  one  thing  very  noteworthy  with  re- 
gard to  the  descendants  of  Alma  at  this  period,  it 
is  their  longevity.  Amos  and  his  two  sons  (Amos 
and  Ammaron)  kept  the  records  for  the  space  of 
two  hundred  and  ten  years.  This  is  a  testimony 
to  all  believers  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  to  the 
highly  beneficial  results  arising  to  the  body  as  well 
as  to  the  soul  of  every  one  who  gives  undeviating, 
continued  obedience  to  the  laws  of  God. 


71     Amos,  the  younger. 

No  people  since  the  deluge,  of  whom  we  have 
any  record,  lived  nearer  to  the  Lord  than  did  the 
Nephites  of  this  generation ;  no  people  have  had 
the  average  of  their  earthly  life  so  marvelously 
prolonged. 

AMOS,  THE  YOUNGEK.  Amos  was  the 
son  of  the  elder  Amos,  and  his  successor  in  the 
custody  of  the  "holy  things."  So  great  was  his 
vitality,  and  so  strong  was  the  constitution  im- 
planted in  him  by  the  virtuous  lives  of  his  pro- 
genitors, together  with  his  own  life  of  harmony 
with  God's  laws,  that  he  retained  this  sacred 
trust  for  the  unexampled  period  of  one  hundred 
and  twelve  years,  or  from  A.  C.  194  to  A.  C,  306, 
when  he  placed  them  in  the  hands  of  his  brother 
Ammaron. 

Amos  was  a  righteous  man,  but  he  lived  to 
witness  an  ever-increasing  flood  of  iniquity  break 
over  the  land,  a  phase  of  evil-doing  that  arose 
not  from  ignorance  and  false  tradition,  but  from 
diredl  and  wilful  rebellion  against  God,  and  apos- 
tasy from  His  laws.  In  the  year  A.  C.  201,  all  the 
second  generation,  after  the  appearance  of  the  Re- 
deemer, had  passed  awaj^  save  a  few;  the  people 
had  greatly  multiplied  and  spread  over  the  face  of 
the  lands,  north  and  south,  and  they  had  become 
exceedingly  rich ;  they  wore  costly  apparel,  which 
they  adorned  with  ornaments  of  gold  and  silver, 
pearls  and  precious  stones.  From  this  date  they 
no  more  had  their  property  in  common,  but,  like 
the  rest  of  the  world,  every  man  sought  gain, 
wealth,  power  and  influence  for  himself  and  his 
own.  All  the  old  evils  arising  from  selfishness 
were  revived.  Soon  they  began  to  build  churches 
after  their  own  fashion,  and  hire  preachers  who 
pandered  to  their  lusts ,  some  even  began  to  deny 
the  Savior. 

From  A.  C.  210  to  A.  C.  230,  the  people 
waxed  greatly  in  iniquity  and  impurity  of  life. 
Different     dissenting     sedls    multiplied,     infidels 


Amos,  the  younger.    72 

abounded.  The  three  remaining  disciples  were 
sorely  persecuted,  notwithstanding  that  they  per- 
formed many  mighty  miracles. 

Not  only  did  the  wicked  persecute  these  three  un- 
dying ones, but  others  of  God's  people  suffered  from 
their  unhallowed  anger  and  bitter  hatred ;  but  the 
faithful  neither  reviled  at  the  reviler  nor  smote  the 
smiter ;  they  bore  these  things  with  patience  and 
fortitude,  remembering  the  pains  of  their  Re- 
deemer. 

In  the  year  A.  C.  231,  there  was  a  great  divi- 
sion among  the  people.  The  old  party  lines  were 
again  definitely  marked.  Again  the  old  ani- 
mosity assumed  shape,  and  Nephite  and  Lamanite 
once  more  became  implacable  foes.  Those  who 
reje(5led  and  renounced  the  Gospel  assumed  the 
latter  name,  and  with  their  eyes  open,  and  a  full 
knowledge  of  their  inexcusable  infamy,  they 
taught  their  children  the  same  base  falsehoods  that 
in  ages  past  had  caused  the  undying  hatred  that 
reigned  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  Laman 
and  Lemuel  towards  the  seed  of  their  younger 
brothers.  By  A.  C.  244,  the  more  wicked  portion 
of  the  people  had  become  exceedingly  strong,  as 
well  as  far  more  numerous  than  the  righteous. 
They  deluded  themselves  by  building  all  sorts  of 
churches,  with  creeds  to  suit  the  increasing  de- 
pravity of  the  masses. 

When  260  years  had  passed  away,  the  Gad- 
ianton  bands,  with  all  their  secret  signs  and 
abominations  (through-  the  cunning  of  Satan) 
again  appeared  and  increased  until,  in  A.  C.  300, 
they  had  spread  all  over  the  land.  By  this  time, 
also,  the  Nephites,  having  gradually  forsaken 
their  first  love,  had  so  far  sunk  in  the  abyss  of 
iniquity  that  they  had  grown  as  wicked,  as 
proud,  as  corrupt,  as  vile,  as  the  Lamanites.  All 
were  submerged  in  one  overwhelming  flood  of  in- 
famy, ''and  there  were  none  that  were  righteous, 
save  it  were  the  disciples  of  Jesus." 


Amos.  73  Amulek. 

AMOS.  The  father  of  Isaiah,  the  prophet. 
He  is  mentioned  twice  bv  Nephi  in  quotations 
from  Isaiah.  (II  Nephi,  12^  1,  23 :  1.) 

AMULEK.  A  Nephite  prophet,  son  of  Gid- 
donah,  who  was  the  son  of  Ishmael,  who  was  a 
descendant  of  Aminadi,  a  descendant  of  Nephi. 

Among  the  cities  built  by  the  Nephites  in  the 
northern  part  of  South  America  was  one  named 
Ammonihah,  which  was  situated  near  the  land  of 
Melek,  which  land  lay  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
Sidon.  In  this  citjy  eighty-two  years  before  the 
coming  of  Christ,  dwelt  a  Nephite  named  Amulek. 
He  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  importance,  and 
was  blessed  with  many  relatives.  One  day,  in  the 
latter  half  of  the  year  as  he  was  journeying  to  see 
a  very  near  relation,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  ap- 
peared unto  him  and  told  him  to  return  to  his 
home  for  he  had  to  feed  a  holy  prophet  of  God  who 
was  exceeding  hungry,  he  having  fasted  many 
days  on  account  of  the  sins  of  the  people  of  Am- 
monihah. 

This  man  of  God,  of  whom  the  angel  spoke, 
was  Alma,  the  younger,  the  presiding  High  Priest 
of  the  Church  of  Christ.  For  some  time  past  he 
had  been  laboring  in  the  midst  of  the  dwellers  in 
Ammonihah,  but  they  had  hardened  their  hearts 
against  God's  word  and  had  cast  the  prophet  out 
of  their  city.  Sad  at  heart  and  bowed  down  with 
sorrow.  Alma  journeyed  from  that  city,  but  on  his 
w^ay  a  holy  angel  met  him  and  with  words  of  en- 
couragement bade  him  return.  Alma  was  not  a 
man  to  dally  in  keeping  the  word  of  the  Lord.  He 
at  once  retraced  his  steps  and  entered  Ammonihah 
by  its  south  gate.  When  not  far  from  its  portals 
he  was  addressed  by  Amulek,  who  recognized  him 
as  the  man  of  w^hom  the  angel  had  spoken,  and 
took  him  to  his  house  and  nourished  him  for 
many  days.  After  a  time  Alma,  accompanied  by 
Amulek,  recommenced  preaching  the  principles  of 
life  and  holiness,  but  in  the  meantime  the  citizens 


Amulek.  74 

of  Ammonihah  had  grown  even  more  wicked  than 
they  were  before.  No  sooner  did  these  brethren 
raise  their  voices  in  their  midst  than  they  sought 
their  destruc^tion,  They  mocked,  they  ridiculed, 
they  cross-questioned  them,  they  perverted  the 
meaning  of  their  words  and  cried  out  that  they  re- 
viled against  their  laws  that  were  just  and  their 
judges  whom  they  had  chosen.  But  by  the  spirit 
of  the  Lord,  Alma  and  Amulek  made  bare  their  evil 
intentions  and  severely  rebuked  their  iniquity. 

Ammonihah  at  that  time  was  cursed  with  an 
abundance  of  lawyers,  who  were  very  expert  in  the 
crooked  ways  of  their  profession.  Among  them 
was  a  man,  whose  name  was  Zeezrom,  who,  on  ac- 
count of  his  greater  keenness,  had  a  large  pradlice, 
and  especially  made  himself  conspicuous  in  badger- 
ing and  seeking  to  discomfort  these  two  servants 
of  God.  But  Alma  and  Amulek,  by  the  power  of  the 
Lord,  made  his  lying  and  perversion  of  their  words 
manifest  to  all,  to  such  an  extent  that  Zeezrom 
himself  felt  the  power  of  their  words  and  began 
to  tremble  exceedingly.  Many  of  the  people  also 
began  to  believe  and  to  repent,  but  the  greater 
portion  thereof,  filled  with  rage  because  their  sins 
were  laid  bare  with  such  unsparing  hands,  bound 
Alma  and  his  companion  and  hurried  them  before 
the  chief  justice  and  with  many  falsehoods  accused 
them  of  having  reviled  their  laws,  their  judges  and, 
indeed,  the  whole  people.  Zeezrom,  now  conscious 
of  the  evil  he  had  done,  vainly  pleaded  their  cause, 
but  the  rabble  turned  upon  him  also,  and  with 
many  indignities  cast  him  and  others  in  whose 
hearts  the  germ  of  faith  w^as  planted  out  of  the 
city,  and  with  stones  strove  to  kill  them. 

Then  followed  a  scene  of  horror  which  in  after 
years  had  its  counterpart  inRome  andSmithfield. 
The  infuriated  mob,  lost  to  all  pity  and  humanity, 
dragged  the  wives  and  little  children  of  those  who 
had  had  the  gospel  preached  to  them,  and  in  one 
great  fire  burned  them  to  death.  Not  content  with 


75  Amulek. 

this,  in  savage  spite  they  took  the  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  and  hurled  them  into  the  flames  and 
burned  them  also.  To  add  to  the  refinement  of 
their  cruelty  they  dragged  Amulek  and  his  friend 
from  prison,  and  compelled  them  to  witness  the 
torture  of  the  martyrs  who  had  received  the 
gospel  through  their  instrumentality.  Among 
that  throng  of  cruelly  suffering  men,  women  and 
children  we  have  no  record  that  one  flinched  or 
denied  the  Savior,  in  whose  cause  they  passed  away 
to  a  glorious  resurredlion. 

Amulek  was  exceedingly  pained  at  the  horrors  of 
this  awful  scene  and  pleaded  with  Alma  that  they 
should  exercise  the  power  of  God  that  was  in 
them  and  save  the  innocent  from  their  tortures. 
But  Alma  would  not  permit  it,  saying  that  the 
Spirit  constrained  him,  for  the  Lord  received  those 
martyrs  to  himself  in  glory. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  while  Alma  and 
Amulek  were  thus  bound,  the  chief  judge  came 
and  smote  them  on  the  face,  and  jeered  at  them  for 
not  having  delivered  the  martyrs  from  the  flames  ; 
when  he  had  finished  he  again  consigned  the 
prophets  to  prison.  These  indignities  were  re- 
peated day  after  day,  not  only  by  the  chief  judge 
but  by  many  others  ;  added  to  which  they  treated 
the  prisoners  with  great  cruelty ;  they  kept  them 
without  food  and  water  that  they  might  hunger 
and  thirst,  and  stripped  them  of  their  clothes  and 
bound  them  naked  in  their  prison.  This  continued 
for  some  time,  until  one  day  the  chief  judge  with 
many  others  came  and  smote  the  brethren  as  be- 
fore, with  mocking  and  ridicule.  Then  the  power 
of  (Tod  came  upon  Alma  and  Amulek  and  they  rose 
to  their  feet  and  broke  the  bands  that  bound  them, 
and  cried  mightilj^  to  the  Lord,  while  their  perse- 
cutors were  stricken  with  terror.  These  latter, 
frantic  w^ith  fear,  attempted  to  flee  from  the 
presence  of  the  prophets,  and  in  their  haste  fell  one 
upon  another  and  blocked  up  the  way  of  escape. 


Amulek.  76 

At  this  moment  of  terror  an  earthquake  rent  the 
prison  walls,  which  swayed  and  fell  in  a  crumbling, 
suffocating,  crushing  mass  upon  the  unholy  throng 
within.  Not  one  escaped;  Alma  and  Amulek  alone 
were  preserved  in  the  midst  of  this  awful  manifes- 
tation of  the  power  of  the  Almighty. 

The  citizens,  hearing  thenoise,  rushed  in  crowds 
to  learn  of  the  disaster,  but  when  they  saw  the 
ruined  heaps  of  the  prison,  with  the  brethren  in 
safety  and  confronting  them,  they  fled  like  a  flock 
of  frightened  sheep  before  two  young  lions.  Still 
they  would  not  permit  the  prophets  to  remain  in 
their  midst,  so  the  latter  left  and  went  over  in  to  the 
land  of  Sidom. 

Such  crimes  as  these  could  not  go  unpunished 
by  Divine  justice.  Ammonihah  soon  felt  the  force 
of  the  wrath  of  God.  It  was  besieged,  captured 
and  made  desolate  by  the  armies  of  theLamanites, 
and  the  very  same  men  who  rejoiced  in  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  martyred  saints  felt  the  same  horrors 
fall  with  tenfold  fury  on  their  own  heads  and  those 
of  their  wives  and  little  ones,  for  of  the  horrors 
of  the  spoiling  of  that  city  we  have  few  counter- 
parts in  history. 

In  the  land  of  Sidom,  Alma  and  Amulek  found 
the  saints  who  had  been  cast  out  of  Ammonihah. 
Zeezrom,  the  law^yer,  was  also  there,  sorely 
sick  of  a  fever,  brought  on  by  the  anguish  of  his 
mind  on  account  of  his  great  sins.  While  pros- 
trate on  his  bed,  the  prophets  visited  him,  com- 
forted him,  and  having  received  a  confession  of 
his  faith  in  Christ,  administered  to  him,  when  he 
was  immediately  healed.  Alma  then  baptized  him, 
and  from  that  time  forth  he  became  a  zealous 
servant  of  that  God  whom  he  had  beforetime  so 
often  denied  and  blasphemed. 

After  Alma  had  established  a  prosperous  church 
in  the  land  of  Sidom  he  took  Amulek,  who  had 
given  up  all  for  the  Gospel's  sake,  to  the  land  of 
Zarahemla.     There  Amulek  dwelt  with  Alma,  as- 


77  Amulek. 

sisting  him  in  his  labors  and  ministry.  The  Lord 
abundantly  blessed  their  efforts,  and  the  Book  of 
Mormon  informs  us  that  they  imparted  the  word 
of  God,  without  any  respc6l  of  persons,  to  the 
people  continually ;  and  there  was  no  inequality 
among  them,  and  the  Lord  did  pour  out  His  Spirit 
on  all  of  the  land  that  they  might  enter  into  His 
rest. 

Amulek  seemed  to  have  henceforth  devoted  his 
entire  life  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  We 
next  hear  of  him  (B.  C.  75)  being  in  the  land  of 
Melek  with  Zeezrom,  whence  Alma  took  them  and 
other  brethren  to  preach  to  the  Zoramites,  a  body 
of  Nephite  dissenters  or  apostates  who  laid  inor- 
dinate stress  upon  the  idea  of  their  predestination 
to  salvation.  Here  Amulek  preached  with  great 
zeal  and  faith,  as  did  the  other  Elders,  resulting  in 
the  repentance  of  many,  who,  by  their  more  hard- 
ened fellow  countrymen,  were  cruelly  persecuted  and 
driven  into  the  land  of  Jershon,  whose  inhabitants 
received  them  with  great  kindness  and  ministered 
to  their  wants.  Here  Alma  andhis  fellow  laborers 
still  further  instrudled  them  in  the  principles  of 
eternal  life.  The  wicked  Zoranjites  were  highly 
incensed  at  the  kindness  shown  to  their  persecuted 
brethren  by  the  noble-hearted  people  of  Ammon, 
and  made  it  a  pretext  for  commencing  a  w^ar  of 
extermination.  This  war  commenced  about  eight 
years  after  the  expulsion  of  Amulek  from  Ammon- 
ihah. 

Amulek  has  the  honor  of  having  some  of  his 
sermons  handed  down  to  us  in  detail  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  From  them  we  judge  him  to  have  been 
a  man  of  liberal  education,  of  great  faith,  of  un- 
swerving integrity  and  untiring  zeal  for  the 
truth.  He  was,  from  the  glimpses  of  his  pri- 
vate life  that  we  glean  as  we  pass  along,  a  man  of 
tender  and  affedlionate  disposition,  exceedingly 
fond  of  his  home  and  family,  yet  these  and  all  else 
he  readily  and  joyfully  gave  up  for  the  riches  and 


Amulon.  78 

happiness  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  Of  his 
later  ministry  and  death  we  are  not  informed,  as 
the  Book  of  Mormon  changes  from  the  history  of 
the  labors  of  the  servants  of  God  to  an  account  of 
the  terrible  wars  between  the  Nephites  and  La- 
manites,  which  immediately  afterwards  deluged 
the  land  with  blood. 

AMULON.  One  of  the  most  prominent  of 
the  degraded  priests  of  king  Noah.  He  undoubt- 
edly took  an  adlive  part  in  the  martyrdom  of  the 
Prophet  Abinadi,  though  not  mentioned  by  name. 
(About  B.  C.  150).  When  king  Noah  was  burned 
to  death  by  his  enraged  subjecfts,  they  would 
have  killed  his  priests  also,  but  the  latter  fled  before 
them  into  the  depths  of  the  wilderness.  Here  the 
priests  hid  for  alengthened  period, both  afraid  and 
ashamed  to  return  to  their  families.  In  this  dilem- 
ma, being  without  wives,  they  surprised  and 
carried  off  a  number  of  Lamanite  maidens,  who 
had  gathered  to  a  much-frequented  spot  in  the  land 
of  Shemlon,  on  mirth  and  pleasure  intent.  This 
a<5l  led  to  a  war  between  the  Lamanites  and  the 
Nephites  in  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi,  which  was  soon 
put  to  an  end  when  the  trouble  was  understood. 
Amulon  and  his  associates  with  their  Lamanite 
wives  settled  in  and  commenced  to  cultivate  the 
land  of  Amulon.  There  they  were  divScovered  by 
the  Lamanite  soldiery  who  were  searching  for  the 
people  of  Limhi,  but  as  tiiey  plead  most  abjectly 
for  mercy,  in  which  petitions  they  were  joined  by 
their  Lamanite  companions,  the  Lamanites  had 
compassion  on  them  and  did  not  destroy  them, 
because  of  their  wives  (B.  C.  121).  Amulon  and  his 
brethren  then  joined  the  Lamanites,  and  soon 
after  the  king  made  Amulon  the  ruler,  under  his 
supreme  authority,  of  the  lands  of  Amulon  and 
Helam.  By  this  appointment  Amulon  and  his 
associates  became  the  overseers  of  the  people  of 
Alma,  and  right  brutally  did  they  use  their  au- 
thority in  oppressing  the  people  of  God,  until  the 


Amnion,  land  of.       79  Angola. 

day  that  the  Lord  dehvered  them.  Amulon  and 
his  brethren  were  also  made  teachers  and  educa- 
tors of  the  Lamanites  by  king  Laman.  These  ex- 
priests  instrudled  the  people  in  the  learning  of  the 
Nephites,  but  they  taught  them  nothing  concerning 
the  Lord  or  the  law  of  Moses.  Of  Amnion's  death 
we  have  no  record. 

AMULON,  LAND  OF.  A  portion  of  the 
great  wilderness  lying  between  the  lands  of  Zara- 
hemla  and  Nephi,  settled  by  Amulon  and  his 
associate  priests  of  Noah.  Amulon  was  made  its 
tributary  ruler  by  the  reigning  monarch  of  the 
Lamanites,  whose  sovereignty  he  wascompelled  to 
acknowledge.  This  land  afterwards  became  a 
stronghold  for  Nephite  apostates.  [See  Alma 
chapter  24:  1.] 

AMULONITES.  The  descendants  of  Amulon 
and  his  associates,  the  corrupt  priests  of  king 
Noah.  They  were  Nephites  on  their  fathers'  side 
and  Lamanites  on  their  mothers',  but  by  asso- 
ciation and  education  were  of  the  latter  race. 
Many  of  them,  however,  were  displeased  with  the 
conduct  of  their  fathers,  and  took  upon  them  the 
name  of  Nephites,  and  were  considered  among 
that  people  ever  after.  Of  those  who  remained 
Amulonites,  many  became  followers  of  Nehor,  and 
were  scattered  in  the  lands  of  Amulon,  Helam  and 
Jerusalem,  all  of  which  appear  to  have  been 
limited  districts  in  the  same  region  of  country. 
In  later  years  the  sons  of  Mosiah  and  their  fellow- 
missionaries  preached  to  them,  but  not  one  re- 
pented and  received  the  gospel  message;  to  the 
contrary,  they  became  leaders  in  the  persecutions 
carried  on  against  the  suffering  people  of  Anti- 
Nephi-Lehi,  and  were  those  who,  with  the  Amale- 
kites,  slew  the  greater  number  of  that  unoffending 
people  who  suffered  martyrdom.  In  the  succeed- 
ing war  with  the  Nephites  (B.  C.  81),  when  Am- 
monihah  was  destroyed,  nearly  all  the  Amulonites 
were  killed  in  the  battle  in  which  Zoram,  the  Ne- 


Anathoth.  80  Ani-Anti. 

phite  general,  defeated  the  Lamanites.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  Amulonites  fled  into  the  east 
wilderness,  where  they  usurped  power  over  the 
people  of  Lam  an,  and  in  their  bitter  hatred  to  the 
truth  caused  many  of  the  latter  to  be  burned  to 
death  because  of  their  belief  in  the  Gospel.  These 
outrages  aroused  the  Lamanites  and  they  in  turn 
began  to  hunt  the  Amulonites  and  to  put  them  to 
death.  This  was  in  fulfilment  of  the  words  of 
Abinadi,  who,  as  he  suffered  martyrdom  by  fire  at 
the  hands  of  Amnion  and  his  associates,  told  them, 
What  ye  shall  do  unto  me,  shall  be  a  type  of  things 
to  come,  by  which  he  meant  that  many  should 
suffer  death  by  fire  as  he  had  suffered. 

"And  he  said  unto  the  priests  of  Noah,  that 
their  seed  should  cause  many  to  be  put  to  death, 
in  the  like  manner  as  he  was,  and  that  they  should 
be  scattered  abroad  and  slain,  even  as  a  sheep 
having  no  shepherd  is  driven  and  slain  by  wild 
beasts  ;  and  now  behold,  these  words  were  verified, 
for  they  were  driven  by  the  Lamanites,  and  they 
were  hunted,  and  they  were  smitten."  (Alma 
ch.  25.) 

AN  AT  HOTH.  A  priest's  city,  belonging  to  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin,  supposed  to  have  been  situated 
about  three  miles  north  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  only 
mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (II  Nephi 
20:30)  in  a  quotation  from  the  prophet  Isaiah. 

ANGOLA.  A  city  occupied  by  the  Nephites 
under  Mormon  (A.  C.  327-8),  when  retreating  be- 
fore the  forces  of  the  Lamanites.  The  Nephites 
made  vigorous  efforts  to  fortify-  it,  but  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  preventing  its  capture  by  the  Lamanites. 
It  is  only  once  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon 
and  appears  to  have  been  situated  near  the  north- 
ern extremity  of  the  Southern  Continent. 

ANI-ANTI.  A  Lamanite  village  in  the  land 
of  Nephi,  in  which  Aaron,  Mvloki,  Ammah  and 
others  proclaimed  the  gospel ;  but  the  people  hard- 
ened their  hearts,  and  after  considerable  preaching 


Animals.  81      Anti-Nephi-Lehies. 

the  missionaries  departed  into  the  land  of  Middoni 
(B.C.  87).  >^ 

ANIMALS.  The  animals  named  in  the  Book  \ 
of  Mormon  are:  the  Ass,  Bear,  Bull,  Calf,  Cow, 
Dog,  Elephant,  Goat,  Horse,  Kid,  Lamb,  lion, 
Mole,  Sheep,  Sow,  Swine,  Whale,  Wolf.  Also  the 
Curelum  and  Cumom.  Many  of  these  are  only 
mentioned  in  quotations  from  the  Bible. 

ANTI-NEPHI-LEHI.  The  name  given  by 
the  king  of  the  Lamanites  to  his  son,  who  succeeded 
him  on  the  throne,  he  being  also  chief  of  that 
portion  of  his  race  who  had  become  Christians 
(B.  C.  83).  He  was  a  brother  of  Lamoni.  The 
Christian  Lamanites  became  known  as  the  people 
of  Anti-Nephi-Lehi,  but  when  they  removed  to  the 
lands  of  the  Nephites  they  were  called  Ammonites. 
The  unrepentant  Lamanites,  especially  those  who 
were  Nephite  apostates  or  their  seed,  would  not 
recognize  the  rule  of  Anti-Nephi-Lehi,  but  re- 
belled against  him.  As  the  Christian  portion  of 
the  race  would  not  contend  with  them,  they  carried 
out  their  rebellious  designs  and  also  massacred 
thousands  of  the  original  Lamanites,  until,  to 
avoid  extindlion,  the  believers  in  Christ  removed 
in  a  body  to  that  portion  of  the  land  of  Zara- 
hemla  called  Jershon.  From  this  era  it  would  ap- 
pear that  the  Nephite  apostates  and  their  des- 
cendants controlled  affairs  among  the  Lamanites. 
Whether  the  king,  who  was  slain  (B.  C.  73)  by 
Amalickiah's  men,  was  of  Nephite  blood  does  not 
appear,  though  it  is  presumable  that  he  was,  but 
his  three  successors  —  Amalickiah,  Ammoron  and 
Tubeloth  —  unquestionably  were.  Anti-Nephi-Lehi, 
if  alive,  as  we  have  every  reason  to  suppose  he 
was,  doubtless  accompanied  his  people  to  the  land 
of  Jershon. 

ANTI-NEPHI-LEHI,  PEOPLE  OF.  See 
Anti-Nephi-Lehi,  Ammon,  Ammonites. 

ANTI-NEPHI-LEHIES.  A  name  given  to 
the  people  of  Anti-Nephi-Lehi,  but  they  are  better 


Antiomno.  82  Antionum. 

known  as  Ammonites,  or  the  people  of  Ammon,  in 
honor  of  the  son  of  king  Mosiah  II,  who  was  the 
leading  spirit  in  converting  them  to  the  truth. 

ANTIOMNO.  A  king  of  the  Lamanites  who 
reigned  over  the  land  of  Middoni,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  first  century  before  Christ.  It  w^as  in 
his  realm  that  Aaron,  the  son  of  Mosiah,  and 
some  of  his  fellow  missionaries  were  imprisoned 
for  many  days,  and  afterwards  delivered  through 
the  intercession  of  Ammon  and  king  Lamoni. 
Antiomno  is  not  again  mentioned  by  name,  but 
as  we  are  informed  that  among  the  thousands 
of  the  Lamanites  converted  to  the  Lord,  by  the 
preaching  of  the  sons  of  Mosiah,  were  they  "who 
were  in  the  land  of  Middoni,"  it  is  quite  probable 
that  their  king  was  also  numbered  among  the 
converted.  Before  the  coming  of  Aaron  and  his 
associates  into  their  midst  the  people  of  Middoni 
were  a  hard-hearted  and  stifi-necked  race,  and  it 
would  be  doing  no  violence  to  the  law  of  proba- 
bilities to  imagine  that  the  character  of  the  king 
v^as  similar  to  that  of  his  subjedls ;  at  any  rate  he 
permitted  his  Nephite  prisoners  to  be  treated  with 
much  cruelty. 

ANTIONAH.  A  chief  ruler  among  the  people 
of  the  city  of  Ammonihah.  His  inquiry  regarding 
the  resurredlion,  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
afforded  Alma  an  opportunity  to  explain  these 
and  other  vital  principles  of  the  everlasting 
Gospel.  From  the  manner  in  which  the  question 
is  put,  we  judge  that  Antionah  was,  like  the 
majority  of  the  people  in  Ammoniah,  a  corrupt 
man  (and  the  probabilities  are  that  he  would  not 
have  been  eledled  to  that  position  if  he  had  not 
been),  or  at  the  least  very  ignorant  of  the  teach- 
ings of  the  servants  of  God.  Whether  he  repented 
at  Alma's  preaching  or  was  destroyed  with  the 
unrepentant  is  not  made  clear.     (B.  C.  82.) 

ANTIONUM.  A  Nephite  general  who  com- 
manded a  division  of  10,000  men  at  the  battle  of 


Antionum,  Land  of.    83  Antipas,  Mount. 

Cumorah   (A.  C.  385).     He  and  his  whole  com- 
mand perished. 

ANTIONUM,  LAND  OF.  A  distria  of 
country  east  of  the  Sidon,  inhabited  by  the Zoram- 
ites  (  B.  C.  75).  Thither  Alma  and  his  brethren  re- 
paired to  convince  them  of  their  errors.  The 
mission  was  not  altogether  successful.  Those  who 
believed  were  driven  out  of  the  land  and  found  a 
refuge  among  the  Ammonites  in  Jershon.  The  un- 
converted Zoramites  joined  the  Lamanites,  who, 
the  next  year,  occupied  Antionum  with  an  army. 
To  confront  this  force  the  Nephites  placed  an  army 
in  Jershon.  The  Lamanites  did  not  consider  them- 
selves equal  to  attacking  the  Nephites,  and 
changed  the  plan  of  their  campaign.  They  retired 
from  Antionum  into  the  wilderness,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  invading  Manti,  in  which  purpose  they 
were  thwarted  by  Moroni  and  disastrously  de- 
feated by  his  troops.  This  land  appears  to  have 
been  of  considerable  extent,  stretching  from  the 
great  southern  wilderness  to  Jershon  on  the  north; 
the  land  of  Zarahemla  formed  its  western  border, 
while  on  the  east  it  extended  indefinitely  into  the 
great  eastern  wilderness. 

ANTl|PARAH.  A  Nephite  city  on  the  south- 
west border,  not  far  from  the  Pacific  Ocean,  which 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Lamanites  in  the  long 
war  inaugurated  by  Amalickiah.  They  stationed 
a  powerful  garrison  there ;  but  afterwards  evacu- 
ated it  to  strengthen  other  Nephite  cities  which 
they  had  captured  (B.  C.  64).  In  after  years  it 
undoubtedly  again  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Lamanites,  as  at  the  time  of  their  invasion  of  the 
land  of  Zarahemla,  (B.  C.  35). 

ANTIPAS,  MOUNT.  A  mountain,  locality 
uncertain,  but  somewhere  within  the  borders  of 
the  Lamanites.  It  was  chosen  by  Lehonti  and 
those  who  refused  to  heed  the  Lamanite  king's 
war  proclamation,  as  their  place  of  rendezvous. 
They  gathered  to  its  summit;    Amalickiah,  by  the 


Antipus.  84  Archeantus. 

king's  command,  followed  with  an  army  to  com- 
pel their  obedience.  This  army  was  treacherously 
surrendered  by  Amalickiah  to  Lehonti,  and  the 
latter  took  command  of  both  armies.  He  was 
soon  after  killed  by  slow  poison,  administered  to 
him  by  Amalickiah's  command,  when  the  last 
named  succeeded  to  his  position  (B.  C.  73). 

ANTIPUS.  The  commander  of  the  Nephi^te 
forces  in  the  extreme  southwest,  during  the  war 
with  Amalickiah  and  Ammoron.  He  fought  stub- 
bornly for  several  j'cars,  against  great  odds,  and 
was  at  last  slain  in  battle  with  the  Lamanites,  in 
the  wilderness  north  of  the  city  of  Judea  (B.  C. 
65).     [See  Helaman.] 

ANTUM.  A  land  of  North  America  in  which 
was  situated  a  hill  called  Siiim.  In  this  hill  Am- 
maron  deposited  the  sacred  records  (A.  C.  321). 
Mormon  afterwards,  by  Ammaron's  dire(?tion, 
obtained  the  plates  of  Nephi  from  this  hiding 
place  and  continued  the  record  thereon.  On  ac- 
count of  his  fear  that  the  Lamanites  might  possess 
themselves  of  the  records,  Mormon,  at  a  later 
period,  removed  them  all  to  the  Hill  Cum  or  ah. 
The  land  of  Jashon  appears  to  have  bordered  on 
the  land  of  Antum;  as  the  city  oi  Jashon  is  said 
to  have  been  near  the  land  w^here  Ammaron  de- 
posited the  records. 

ARABIAN.  A  native  of  Arabia,  in  Asia. 
The  name  is  only  used  once  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, ( II  Nephi,  23  :  20 )  in  a  quotation  from 
Isaiah 

ARCHEANTUS.  A  Nephite  officer  of  rank 
in  the  army  commanded  by  Mormon.  He  was 
killed  in  a  ''sore  battle"  fought  with  the  Laman- 
ites (probably  towards  the  middle  of  the  fourth 
century  of  the  Christian  era)  in  which  the  latter 
were  vidlorious.  He  is  spoken  of  by  Mormon  in 
his  second  epistle  to  his  son,  in  connedlion  with  a 
great  number  of  "choice  men"  lost  in  the  same 
disastrous  battle. 


\ 


Arpad.  85  Benjamin. 

AKPAD.    A  city  or  distridl  in  Syria,  appar- 
ently dependent  on  Damascus.  It  is  mentioned  but 
once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  ( Nephi,  20:  9)  in  a  ^ 
quotation  from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah. 

ASSYKIA.    A  great  and  powerful  country  in 
western  Asia,  whose  capital  was  Nineveh.    It  de- 
rived its  name  apparently  from  Asshur,  the  son  of 
Shem.    It  is  mentioned  by  Nephi  eight  times,  but  /^ 
always  in  quotations  from  Isaiah. 

ASSYRIANS.    The  people  of   Assyria.    The 
name  is  used  by  Nephi  in  three  quotations  from  ^* 
the  prophet  Isaiah. 

BABYLON.  The  land  into  which  the  people 
of  Judah  were  carried  captive.  This  coming  cap- 
tivity, together  with  the  destrudlion  of  Jerusalem, 
was  revealed  by  the  Lord  to  Lehi  (B.  C.  600), and 
his  proclamation  of  its  near  approach  was  one  of 
the  causes  that  led  to  his  maltreatment  by  the 
Jews.  Nephi  also  received  manifestations  of  this 
approaching  calamity  and  so  told  his  brethren,  but 
Lam  an  and  Lemuel  would  receive  neither  his 
words  nor  those  of  his  father.  Nephi  also  prophe- 
sied of  the  destru6lion  of  Babylon  (II  Nephi, 
25:  15).  Babylon  is  mentioned  several  times  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  in  quotations  from  the  prophet  /_ 
Isaiah. 

BASHAN,    A'distridl  of  Canaan  on  the  east 
of  the  River  Jordan.    It  is  mentioned  once  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  ( II  Nephi,  12:  13 )  in  a  quota-  /* 
tion  from  Isaiah. 

BENJAMIN.  The  second  of  the  three  pro- 
phet-kings of  the  Nephites  who  reigned  in  the  land 
of  Zarahemla.  He  was  the  son  of  Mosiah  /,  and 
father  of  Mosiah  II,  and,  like  them,  was  most  prob- 
ably a  seer.  He  undoubtedl3^  held  the  priest- 
hood, as  he  received  the  ministration  of  angels, 
was  favored  with  revelations  from  the  Lord,  and 
organized  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  among  his 
people.  He  was  also  the  custodian  of  the  sacred 
records,  etc.,  having  received  them  from  Amaleki, 


Benjamin.  86 

who  was  childless.  The  time  and  place  of  his 
birth  is  not  given,  though  it  was  probably  in  the 
land  of  Nephi.  He  lived  to  a  great  age  and  died 
full  of  peace  and  honor  in  Zarahemla,  B.  C.  122. 
He  is  illustrious  for  the  justice  and  mercy  with 
which  he  administered  the  laws,  for  his  great  de- 
votion to  God  and  love  for  his  people,  and  for  the 
frugality  and  simplicity  of  his  personal  life. 
Three  of  his  sons  are  mentioned  by  name,  Mo- 
siah,  Helorum  and  Helaman,  whom  he  caused 
to  be  educated  in  all  the  learning  of  his  fathers, 
giving  especial  attention  to  their  religious  train- 
ing and  instruction  in  the  history  of  God's 
dealings  with  their  forefathers. 

The  reign  of  Benjamin  was  not  one  of  un- 
interrupted peace.  Some  time  during  its  continu- 
ance the  aggressive  Lamanites,  not  content  with 
occupying  the  land  of  Nephi,  acftually  follow^ed 
the  Nephites  into  the  land  of  Zarahemla  and  in- 
vaded that  also.  The  war  was  a  fierce  one. 
King  Benjamin  led  his  forces,  armed  with  the  his- 
toric sword  of  Laban,  and  with  it  slew  many  of 
the  enemy.  Benjamin  was  ultimately  successful  in 
driving  the  invading  hosts  out  of  all  the  regions 
occupied  by  his  people,  with  a  loss  to  the  Laman- 
ites of  many  thousand  warriors  slain. 

The  reign  of  Benjamin  was  also  troubled  with 
various  religious  impostors,  false  Christs,  pre- 
tended prophets,  etc.,  who  caused  apostas3^  and 
dissensions  among  the  people,  much  to  the  sorrow 
of  the  good  king.  However,  by  the  aid  of  some 
of  the  many  righteous  men  who  dwelt  in  his  do- 
minions, he  exposed  the  heresies,  made  manifest 
the  falsity  of  the  claims  of  the  self-styled  Messiahs 
and  prophets,  and  restored  unity  of  faith  and 
worship  among  his  subjecSls;  and  in  such  cases 
where  these  innovators  had  broken  the  civil  law, 
they  were  arraigned,  tried,  and  punished  by  that 
law. 

We  may  presume  that  the  original  inhabitants 


87  Benjamin. 

of  Zarahemla,  just  awakening  to  a  newness  of  re- 
ligious life,  were  particularly  subjedl  to  the  influ- 
ences brought  to  bear  by  these  impostors.  They 
had  but  lately  learned  the  mysteries  of  the  plan  of 
salvation  and  of  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  to 
dwell  among  the  sons  of  men.  The  glory  and 
beauty  of  this  Divine  advent  filled  their  new-bom 
souls  with  joyous  hope.  Looking  forward  for  the 
arrival  of  that  happy  day,  with  their  first  love  un- 
diminished and  their  zeal  unslackened,  they  were 
especially  open  to  the  deceptions  of  those  who 
cried,  Lo,  the  Christ  is  come !  or.  Behold,  a  great 
prophet  hath  arisen ! 

There  was  another  class  who,  moved  by  the 
spirit  of  unrest,  were  a  source  of  perplexity  to  the 
king:  They  were  those  who,  having  left  the  land 
of  Nephi  with  the  righteous,  still  permitted  their 
thoughts  and  affedlions  to  be  drawn  towards 
their  former  homes  and  old  associations.  The 
natural  consequence  was  that  they  were  constantly 
agitating  the  idea  of  organizing  expeditions  to 
visit  their  old  homes.  The  first  of  these  that  acft- 
ually  started,  of  which  we  have  an  account,  fought 
among  themselves  with  such  fury  that  all  were 
slain  except  fifty  men,  who,  in  shame  and  sorrow, 
returned  to  Zarahemla  to  recount  the  miserable 
end  of  their  expedition.  Yet  some  remained  un- 
satisfied, and  under  the  leadership  of  a  man  named 
Zeniff]  another  company  started  on  the  ill-advised 
journey.  Nothing  was  heard  from  them  while 
Benj  amin  reigned . 

When  king  Benjamin  was  well  stricken  with 
years,  the  Lord  diredled  him  to  consecrate  his  son 
Mosiah  to  be  his  successor  on  the  Nephite  throne. 
Feeling  that  age  was  impairing  his  energies  he 
direcfted  his  son  to  gather  the  people  together  at 
the  temple  that  had  been  ere(?tedin  Zarahemla,  and 
he  would  then  give  them  his  parting  instruAions. 
(B.  C.  125.)  Agreeable  to  this  call  the  people 
gathered  at  the  temple,  but  so  numerous  had  they 


Benjamin.  88 

grown  that  it  was  too  small  to  hold  them.  They 
also  brought  with  them  the  firstlings  of  their  flocks 
that  they  might  offer  sacrifice  and  burnt  ofterings 
according  to  the  Mosaic  law.  As  the  assembled 
thousands  could  not  get  inside  the  temple,  they 
pitched  their  tents  by  families,  every  one  with  its 
door  towards  the  building,  and  the  king  had  a 
tower  eredled  near  the  temple  from  which  he  spake. 

The  teachings  of  king  Benjamin  at  these 
meetings  were  some  of  the  most  divine  atid 
glorious  ever  uttered  by  man.  He  preached  to  his 
hearers  the  pure  principles  of  the  gospel— the  duty 
which  men  owed  to  their  God  and  to  their  fellows. 
He  also  told  them  how^  he  had  been  visited  by  an 
angel,  and  what  wondrous  things  the  angel  had 
shown  him  concerning  the  coming  of  the  God  of 
Israel  to  dwell  with  men  in  the  flesh. 

When  Benjamin  had  made  an  end  of  speaking 
the  words  which  had  been  delivered  to  him  by  the 
angel,  he  observed  that  the  power  of  his  testimony 
had  so  worked  upon  the  Nephites  that  they,  in  the 
deep  sense  of  their  own  unworthiness,  had  fallen 
to  the  ground.  And  they  cried  out  confessing  their 
faith  in  the  coming  Messiah,  and  pleading  that 
through  his  atoning  blood  they  might  receive  the 
forgiveness  of  their  sins,  and  that  their  hearts 
might  be  purified.  After  they  had  lifted  their  deep- 
felt  cry  to  heaven,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came 
down  upon  them,  and  because  of  their  exceeding 
faith  they  received  a  remission  of  their  sins.  When 
the  king  had  finished  his  discourse  he  gave  his 
people  a  new  name,  because  of  the  covenant  they 
desired  to  make,  which  thing  he  greatly  desired. 
The  name  they  were  to  bear  for  ever  after  was  the 
name  of  Christ,  which  should  never  be  blotted  out 
except  through  transgression.  Thus  was  estab- 
lished the  first  Christian  church  in  Zarahemla  (B. 
C.  125),  for  every  soul  who  heard  these  teachings 
(except  the  very  little  children  who  could  not  un- 
derstand) entered  into  this  sacred  covenant  with 


Bethabary.  89       Bountiful,  City  of. 

God,  which  most  of  them  faithfully  observed  to 
the  end  of  their  mortal  lives. 

King  Benjamin's  truly  royal  work  was  now 
done.  He  had  lived  to  bring  his  people  into  com- 
munion with  their  Creator,  his  spirit  was  full  of 
heavenly  joy,  but  his  body  trembled  under  the 
weight  of  many  >ears.  So  before  he  dismissed  the 
multitude  he  consecrated  his  son  Mosiah  to  be 
their  king,  appointed  priests  to  instrudl  the  people 
in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  and,  with  his  patriarchal 
blessing,  dismissed  his  subjedls.  Then,  according 
to  their  respedlive  families,  they  all  departed  for 
their  own  homes. 

Mosiah  now  reigned  in  his  father's  stead,  while 
Benjamin,  beloved  and  honored,  remained  yet  an- 
other three  years  on  the  earth  before  he  returned 
to  the  presence  of  his  Father  in  heaven. 

BETHABARY.  Otherwise  BETHABARA. 
The  place  "beyond  Jordan"  where  John  the  Bap- 
tist baptized.  It  is  mentioned  in  Lehi's  prophecy 
( I  Nephi,  10:  9)  of  the  baptism  of  the  Savior. 

BIRDS.  The  Birds  named  in  the  Book  of  Mor-I 
mon  are  the  Bittern,  Chicken,  Dove,  Fowl,  Hen,  I 
Owl,  and  Vulture.  "^ 

BOAZ,  CITY  OF.  A  city  evidently  situated 
a  short  distance  north  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 
In  the  last  war  between  the  Nephites  and  Laman- 
ites,  the  Nephites  having  on  one  occasion  been 
beaten  in  a  severe  battle,  in  the  land  of  Desolation, 
fled  to  Boaz.  To  this  place  the  Lam  anites  followed 
them,  but  were  unsuccessful  in  their  first  attack,  as 
the  Nephites  defended  it  with  great  boldness.  In 
their  second  attack  they  carried  the  city,  and  the 
defenders  suffered  great  loss.  The  conquerors  took 
the  Nephite  women  and  children  whom  they  had 
made  prisoners  and  sacrificed  them  to  their  idols. 
( About  A.  C.  375. ) 

BOUNTIFUL,  CITY  OF.  The  chief  city  of 
the  Nephites,  in  the  land  ^owntj/u/,  situated,  appar- 
ently, not  far  from  the  shore  of  the  great  eastern 


Bountiful,  Land  of.      90 

sea,  and  but  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama.  It  was  the  key  to  the  Northern  con- 
tinent, and  previous  to  the  birth  of  the  Saviornone 
of  the  invading  armies  of  the  Lamanites  appear 
to  have  been  able  to  pass  by  it.  It  was  strongly 
fortified  by  Moroni  and  his  associate  commanders 
and  successors,  the  Lamanite  prisoners  of  war 
being  used  by  him  on,  at  least,  one  occasion  in  this 
work  (  B.  C.  64),  until  the  city  was  encircled  with 
a  deep  ditch  and  a  high  wall  of  earth  and  timbers. 
"And  it  became  an  exceeding  strong  place  ever 
afterward."  The  Lamanite  prisoners  were  held 
within  an  enclosure,  the  walls  of  which  they  were, 
themselves,  compelled  to  build;  and  their  numbers 
were  constantly  added  to  as  the  fortunes  of  war 
went  against  them.  When  the  city  Gid  was  retaken 
(  B.  C.  63  ),  a  large  number  of  Lamanite  prisoners 
captured  therein  were  sent  to  Bountiful. 

In  the  great  mission  preformed  by  Nephi  and 
Lehi,  the  sons  of  Helaman,  they  commenced  their 
labors  at  the  city  Bountiful  and  thence  continued 
southward.     (B.  C.  31.) 

It  seems  probable  that,  in  the  great  convul- 
sions that  attended  the  crucifixion  of  the  Redeemer, 
Bountiful  did  not  suffer  as  severely  as  did  many 
other  cities ;  for  Jesus  appeared  to  the  Nephites  who 
were  assembled  near  the  temple  that  stood  in  that 
land;  apparently  it  had  not  been  destroyed,  though 
possibly  it  was  greatly  injured. 

BOUNTIFUL,,  LAND  OF,  (in  Arabia).  This 
must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Bountiful  in  the 
northern  part  of  South  America,  where  the  Savior 
appeared  and  taught  the  Nephites.  It  was  a 
portion  of  Arabia  Felix,  or  Arabia  the  happy,  so 
called  in  contradistindlion  to  Arabia  the  stony, 
and  Arabia  the  desert,  on  account  of  its  abundant 
produdliveness  and  great  fertility.  It  was  in 
this  blessed  region,  on  the  shore  of  the  Arabian 
sea,  that  Nephi  built  the  ship 'that  carried  Lehi's 
colony  to  the  promised  land.    To  the  sea  itself 


91      Bountiful,  Land  of. 

they  gave  the  name  of  Irreantum,  which  word 
means  many  waters. 

BOUNTIFUL,  LAND  OF.  The  most  north- 
erly Nephite  division  of  the  South  American  Con- 
tinent. It  extended  in  the  north  to  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  where  it  was  bounded  by  the  land 
Desolation.  Its  other  boundaries  are  indefinite, 
and  undoubtedly  varied  greatly  at  different  eras 
of  Nephite  history,  diminishing  in  extent  as  the 
wilderness  was  settled,  cities  were  founded  and 
the  neighboring  regions  made  tributary  to  them. 
Jershon  appears  to  have  been  south  and  east  of  it. 
Its  chief  city  bore  the  same  name.  And  on  its 
northwest  comer  Hagoth  built  his  celebrated  ship 
yards  (B.  C.  55). 

Before  the  land  Bountiful  was  settled  by  the 
Nephites,  it  was  a  wilderness  filled  with  wild 
animals  of  every  kind ;  some  of  which  had  come 
from  the  land  northward  for  food  (Alma,  22:  31). 
But  the  Nephites,  to  prevent  the  Lamanites  creep- 
ing up  through  the  wilderness  along  the  coast, 
east  and  west,  and  in  this  way  gaining  a  foothold 
in  the  land  northward,  at  as  early  a  date  as  possi- 
ble inhabited  the  land  Bountiful,  from  the  east  to 
the  west  sea  (Alma,  22:  33),  thus  retaining  pos- 
session of  the  whole  of  the  northern  continent. 

In  this  land  (B.  C.  68),  a  severe  battle  took 
place  between  the  Nephite  army,  commanded  by 
Teancum,  and  the  people  of  Morianton,  in  which 
the  latter  were  defeated  and  their  leader  slain. 

The  next  year  (B.  C,  67),  the  vidlorious  La- 
manites, under  Amalickiah,  reached  the  borders  of 
Bountiful  from  the  southeast,  driving  the  Nephites 
before  them,  but  their  advance  northward  was 
checked  by  the  forces  of  Teancum,  by  whom  Am- 
alickiah,  their  king,  was  slain. 

In  B.  C.  66,  Teancum,  under  instrudlion  from 
Moroni,  greatly  strengthened  the  fortifications  in 
the  land  Bountiful,  giving  special  attention  to 
making  the  Isthmus  secure  from  capture. 


Bountiful,  Land  of.      92  Cain. 

In  the  year  B.C.  64,  a  sanguinary  battle  was 
fought  in  the  districSl  between  the  cities  of  Bounti- 
ful and  Mulek,  which  resulted  in  Mulek  being  re- 
captured from  the  Lamanites.  In  this  battle  the 
Nephites  were  commanded  by  Moroni,  Lehi  and 
Teancum ;  and  the  Lamanites  by  Jacob,  who  was 
slain.  The  Lamanite  prisoners  were  so  numerous 
that,  as  a  precautionary  step,  they  were  set  at  the 
task  of  intrenching  and  fortifying  the  land  and 
city  of  Bountiful. 

In  the  year  B.  C.  51  the  Lamanites  invaded 
Zarahemla,  captured  the  capital  and  advanced 
northward  towards  Bountiful,  but  their  triumph- 
al march  was  arrested  by  an  army  commanded 
by  Lehi,  and  they  were  eventually  driven  back  to 
their  own  lands. 

In  B.  C.  35  the  Lamanites  again  invaded  the 
lands  of  the  Nephites,  and  the  latter,  owing  to 
their  dissensions  and  wickedness,  were  everywhere 
driven  before  them,  until,  in  B.  C.  34,  they  had 
overrun  and  taken  possession  of  all  the  Nephite 
possessions  as  far  as  the  land  Bountiful.  The  Ne- 
phites, under  Moronihah,  then  threw  up  a  line  of 
fortifications  entirely  across  the  Isthmus,  by  which 
means  they  protected  the  northern  continent  from 
invasion.  In  B,  C.  32,  Moronihah  reconquered 
the  most  northern  portions  of  South  America. 

In  A.  C.  16,  Lacboneous,  the  chief  judge,  by 
reason  of  the  perilous  condition  of  the  people, 
from  the  constant  attacks  of  the  Gadianton  rob- 
bers, decided  to  mass  the  Nephites  in  one  region, 
and  chose  Bountiful  and  Zarahemla  for  that  pur- 
pose. This  bold  movement  he  carried  out,  and 
held  the  people  there  until  after  the  destrudlion  of 
the  hosts  of  the  robbers.  In  A.  C.  26,  the  people 
were  permitted  to  return  to  their  homes  through, 
out  the  two  continents. 

It  was  in  the  land  Bountiful  that  Jesus  ap- 
peared and  ministered  to  the  Nephites. 

CAIN.    The  son  of  Adam,    He  is  mentioned 


Oalno.  93  Cezoram. 

thrice  by  name  in  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  each  time 
in  connedlion  with  his  plottings  and  convenants 
with  Satan. 

CAIjNO.  a  place  in  Palestine,  of  which  little 
is  known.  It  is  mentioned  in  Nephi's  extradls 
from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  ( II  Nephi,  20 :  9.) 

CAMENIHAH.  A  Nephite  general  who  was 
slain  at  the  battle  of  Cumorah  (A.  C.  385).  The 
army  corps  of  ten  thousand  men,  which  he  com- 
manded, was  entirelv  destroyed  in  this  battle. 

CAKCHEMISH.  A  town  near  the  Eu- 
phrates River.  It  is  mentioned  in  connecftion  with 
Calno  in  an  extradl  from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah 
(II  Nephi,  20:9). 

CEZORAM.  In  theyear  B.  C.  30  iVep/?/,  the  ser- 
vant of  the  Lord,  owing  to  the  rapid  increase  of  in- 
iquity, among  the  people,  resigned  the  Chief  Judge- 
ship in  the  Nephite  Republic,  and  a  man  named 
Cezoram  was  chosen  to  fill  his  place.  We  infer 
from  the  context  that  Cezoram  was  the  tool  of,  or 
a  leader  among  the  Gadianton  robber  bands,  and 
that  it  was  through  the  widespread  corruption  of 
the  Nephites,  who  were  rapidly  ripening  for  des- 
truction, that  his  eledlion  was  secured.  He  con- 
tinued in  office,  until  the  year  B.  C.  26,  when  he 
was  murdered  by  an  unknown  hand  as  he  sat  up- 
on the  judgment  seat.  One  of  his  sons  succeeded 
him,  but  his  reign  was  short,  for  he  also  was  as- 
sassinated, even  in  the  same  year  as  w^ashis  father. 

When  Cezoram  was  eledled  chief  officer  of  the 
Nephite  Commonwealth  the  people  were  in  a  piti- 
able condition.  Through  their  apostasy  from 
God,  and  disregard  of  the  national  law,  they  had 
been  trampled  under  foot  of  the  Lamanites,  and 
half  their  lands,  including  their  great  and  grand 
capital  Zarahemla,  was  in  the  hands  of  these 
ruthless  foes.  But  during  his  judgeship,  (though  in 
no  way  attributable  to  him,  so  far  as  we  can 
gather  from  the  record, )  a  great  change  came  over 
the  spirit  of  the  Lamanites,  and  the  greater  por- 


Chaldeans.  94  Ohemish. 

tion  of  them  were  converted  to  the  Lord  through 
the  preaching  of  Nephi  and  his  brother  Lehi.  The 
Lamanites,  in  the  fulness  of  their  conversion,  res- 
tored to  the  Nephites  the  lands  they  had  taken 
from  them,  and  the  seat  of  Nephite  government 
was  again  established  at  Zarahemla.  This  con- 
version and  restitution  w^as  followed  by  a  most 
profound  and  widespread  peace,  during  which 
commerce  v^as  greatly  extended,  the  arts  and  re- 
finements of  life  were  developed,  and  both  races 
grew  extremely  rich.  This  age  marks  a  new  era 
in  ancient  American  history.  Many  of  the  old 
distin6lions  between  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites 
w^ere  swept  away,  and  the  old  distincftive  names 
convey  somewhat  different  ideas  from  this  time 
forth.  But,  unfortunately,  notwithstanding  the 
preachings  and  example  of  the  now  zealous  and 
righteous  Lamanites,  many  of  the  people  of  Nephi 
remained  ''hardened,  impenitent  and  grossty 
wicked;"  they  entirely  rejedled  the  word  of  God 
and  the  warning  word  of  prophecy  that  w^as  so 
energetically  proclaimed  in  their  hearing,  by  the 
faithful  of  both  races.  To  this  unhappy  state  of 
society  ma3^  be  traced  the  murder  of  Cezoram  and 
his  son,  and  the  evils  that  afterwards  followed  in 
rapid  and  desolating  succession. 

CHALDEANS,  CHALDEES.  The  people 
of  Chaldea,  in  Asia,  of  which  land  Babylon  was 
the  capital.  These  names  simply  appear  in  quota- 
tions from  the  writings  of  Isaiah  ( I  Nephi,  20 :  14, 
20;  II  Nephi,  23:19).  ^ 

CHEMISH.  The  son  of  Omni,  a  descendant 
of  Jacob,  the  son  of  Lehi.  He  received  the  sacred 
records  from  his  brother  Awaron,  in  the  year  280 
B.  C.  His  entire  writings  only  consist  of  sixty - 
nine  words,  and  from  them  we  can  gather  nothing 
regarding  his  private  life,  the  history  of  his  times, 
nor  for  how  long  a  period  he  retained  the  plates. 
We  must,  however,  suppose  that  his  brother 
Amaron  considered  him  the  most  suitable  person 


Oohor.  95  Coins. 

on  whom  to  impose  this  sacred  trust,  and  conse- 
quently believe  him  to  have  been  a  good  man.  He 
is  ranked  among  the  prophets  by  Mormon.  He 
conferred  the  custody  of  the  plates  upon  his  son 
Abinadom. 

COHOK.  One  of  the  early  Jaredites.  He  was 
the  son  of  Corihor,  the  son  of  Kib,  the  son  of 
Corihor,  the  son  of  Jared.  He  was  associated  with 
his  brother  Noah,  in  a  rebellion  against  Shule, 
the  king,  who  was  their  uncle,  though  possibly 
their  junior  in  years,  as  he  was  born  when  his 
father,  Kib,  was  very  aged.  The  rebellion  of 
Noah,  Cohor  and  his  associates  was  partly  suc- 
cessful, the  country  was  divided  into  two  king- 
doms, and  Noah  reigned  in  Moron,  the  land  of 
the  Jaredites'  first  inheritance.  Cohor  is  men- 
tiond  but  once  by  name, 

COHOR.  Nephew  of  the  preceding.  He 
was  the  son  of  Noah,  the  son  of  Corihor,  He 
succeeded  his  father  as  king  of  the  land  of  Moron, 
Making  w^ar  w^ith  Shule,  the  king  of  the  other 
portion  of  the  country,  Cohor  was  defeated  and 
slain.  He  was  succeeded  on  the  throne  by  his  son 
Nimrod,  who,  apparently  deeming  Shule  the  right- 
ful monarch  of  the  whole  country,  gave  up  the 
whole  kingdom  to  him ;  thus  once  again  uniting 
the  entire  Jaredite  people  in  one  nation,  under  one 
king. 

COHOR.  A  Jaredite  of  the  last  generation, 
evidently  as  wicked  and  impenitent  as  the  rest 
of  his  race.  No  particulars  whatever  are  given  of 
him.  It  is  simply  said  that  his  fair  sons  and 
daughters  did  not  repent. 

COINS.  The  following  is  the  table  of  the 
coins  of  the  Nephites,  given  in  Alma,  chap.  11 : 

GOLD.  SIlvVER. 

1  Senine  equal  to  1  Senum. 

1  Seon,       2  Senines,  **  1  Amnor. 

1  Shum,     4       "  **  1  Ezrom. 

ILimnah,?       "  ''  1  Onti. 


Com.  96  Com. 

Of  smaller  coins  — 
1  Shiblon  was  equal  to  half  a  Senine,  or  Senum. 
1  Shiblum    ''        "a  quarter  of  a  Senine  or  Senum. 
1  Leah  **        '*  an  eighth  of  a  Senine  or  Senum. 

An  Antion  of  gold  was  equal  to  three  Shublons. 

Though  not  diredlly  so  stated,  we  judge  from 
the  context  that  the  Shiblon,  the  Shiblum  and  the 
Leah  were  silver  coins. 

The  names  of  these  coins  seem  to  be  indentical 
with,  or  derived  from  those  of  familiar  persons  or 
places.    Thus  we  have  a  Leah,  a  Shiblon,  and  an 
Amnor,  all  names  of  persons.     Also  an  Antion,  ( 
which  word  is  found  in  Antionah  and  Antionum ;  | 
a  Shiblum,  which  differs  from  Shiblom  only  one  . 
letter,  and  a  Shublon  from  Shiblon,  and  a  Limnah  / 
from  Limhah,  to  the  same  extent,  * 

COM.  A  king  of  the  Jaredites,  the  son  of 
Coriantum.  Com  was  born  when  his  father  was 
very  aged,  evidently  considerably  over  one  hundred 
years  old,  for  Coriantum 's  first  wife  died  at  the 
age  of  102  years,  after  which  he  married  a  young 
maid,  who  became  the  mother  of  several  children, 
among  whom  was  Com.  In  Com's  reign  the  Jared- 
ites increased  greatly  in  numbers,  they  also  spread 
widely  over  the  face  of  the  land;  but  they  also 
grew  in  iniquity,  and  the  secret  associations  (see 
Akish)  that  a  few  generations  before  had  caused 
the  almost  entire  destruc^tion  of  the  race  were  re- 
vived. One  of  the  leaders  in  these  crimes  was  a 
son  of  Com's,  named  Heth,  who  was  born  when 
Com  had  reigned  49  years.  This  young  man  con- 
spired against  his  father,  slew  him  with  his  own 
sword  and  reigned  in  his  stead. 

COM.  A  righteous  king  of  the  Jaredites,  who 
reigned  in  the  later  days  of  that  nation.  Like  the 
preceding,  his  father's  name  was  Coriantum, 
though  they  appear  to  have  lived  nearly  a  thou- 
sand years  apart.  Com's  father  v^as  one  of  the 
dynasty  of  monarchs  w^ho  were  deposed  and  held 
in  captivity  by  the  successful  house.     In  that  cap- 


Comnor.  97  Oorianton. 

tivit^^  Com  was  born ;  but  when  he  attained  man- 
hood he  rebelled  and  gained  possession  of  half  the 
kingdom.  When  he  had  thus  reigned  42  years  he 
made  war  with  Amgid^  the  ruler  of  the  other  half, 
and  after  a  desolating  conflidl  of  many  years  he 
gained  power  over  the  whole  realm.  While  he 
was  king,  robber  bands,  like  unto  the  Gadiantons, 
began  to  appear,  who  administered  secret  and 
damnable  oaths,  after  the  manner  of  the  ancients, 
and  sought  again  to  destroy  the  kingdom.  Com 
fought  these  robbers  with  vigor,  but  without  suc- 
cess, for  they  had  the  sympathy  of  the  masses  of 
the  people,  who  were  rapidly  ripening  for  destruc- 
tion. Many  prophets  came  in  these  days,  who 
foretold  the  impending  destrucftion  of  the  race,  if 
the  people  did  not  repent  and  turn  unto  the  Lord. 
But  the  voice  of  mercy  and  warning  was  rejedled, 
and  the  sin-sunken  Jaredites  sought  the  lives  of 
the  heaven-inspired  messengers.  The  prophets 
fled  to  Com  for  preservation,  and  he  appears  to 
have  valiantly  protected  them.  While  with  him 
the^^  prophesied  many  things  for  his  comfort  and 
edification,  and  he  was  blessed  of  the  Lord  all  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  He  lived  to  a  good  old 
age,  and  begat  Shiblom jMvho,  at  his  death, reigned 
in  his  stead. 

COMNOR.  A  hill  near  the  valley  of  Shurr, 
location  unknown,  but  apparently  nearer  the  At- 
lantic than  the  Pacific  seaboard  of  North  America, 
In  one  of  the  last  great  wars  that  took  place 
among  the  Jaredites, Cor/antumrmassed  his  troops 
upon  this  hill,  and  there  challenged  to  battle,  by 
call  of  trumpet,  the  armies  of  Shiz.  A  series  of 
battles  then  ensued  which,  in  the  end,  resulted  dis- 
astrouslv  to  Coriantumr. 

CORIANTON,  SON  OF  ALMA.  Of  Cor- 
ianton's  birth  and  death  we  have  no  record. 
With  his  brothers,  he  is  first  mentioned  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  at  the  time  of  the  Zoramite 
apostasy,  when,  though  young  and  inexperienced, 


Oorianton.  98 

his  father  took  him  on  the  mission  to  that  people. 
At  this  period  of  his  life,  Corianton  appears  to 
have  been  afflidled  with  a  failing  common  to 
youth  —  an  inordinate  estimate  of  his  own 
strength  and  wisdom,  and  an  inclination  to  scep- 
ticism, if  not  to  infidelity.  He  was  a  doubter  of 
everything  except  his  own  supposed  abilities.  He 
marveled  that  the  assurance  of  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah  should  be  given  to  men  so  long  before  His 
advent.  His  mind  was  worried  concerning  the 
resurre(?tion  of  the  dead,  the  restoration  of  all 
things,  the  eternal  punishment  of  the  sinner,  and 
other  points  of  doctrine.  He  denied  the  justice  of 
God  in  the  condemnation  of  the  evil-doer,  and 
sought  to  justify  himself  in  sinning,  on  the  plea  of 
God's  mercy.  Possessed  of  such  a  frame  of  mind 
as  this,  no  wonder  that  he  sinned.  Notwith- 
standing that  Alma  had  imparted  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  him,  like  unto  the  rest  of  the  brethren,  when 
they  started  out  to  reclaim  the  Zoramites  from 
their  sin-satisfying  apostasy,  he  deserted  his  field 
of  labor,  and  went  over  to  the  borders  of  the 
Lamanites  to  enjo}^  the  sinful  embraces  of  Isabel, 
of  Siron,  a  harlot,  whose  meretricious  charms  had 
led  many  away  from  the  paths  of  virtue.  As  might 
reasonably  be  expedled,  this  iniquitous  condudl  of 
Corianton  placed  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of 
his  fellow  laborers,  and  caused  many  of  the 
Zoramites  to  rejedl  the  light  of  the  Gospel. 
Alma,  in  his  '^  commandments  "  to  Corianton,  se- 
verely chided  him  for  his  sinful  condudl,  pointed 
out  the  awful  criminality  of  his  course,  and  entered 
into  a  lengthy  explanation  of  the  doctrines  Cori- 
anton doubted  or  denied. 

From  the  tenor  of  Corianton 's  after  life,  we 
judge  that  he  sincerely  repented  of  his  youthful 
follies  and  unbelief.  We  find  that  during  his 
father's  lifetime  he  accompanied  him  on  his  mis- 
sionary travels,  and  after  Alma's  death  he  labored 
under  the  direction  of  his  brother  Helaman.    He 


Coriantor.  99  Coriantum. 

survived  both  his  elder  brothers,  and  at  the  time  of 
Shiblon's  death  (B.  C.  53)  was  in  North  America, 
whither  he  had  gone  in  a  ship  to  carry  provisions 
to  the  settlers.  This  is  the  last  time  his  name  is 
mentioned  in  the  sacred  pages. 

We  infer  from  the  manner  in  which  the  state- 
ment is  made,  that  if  Corianton  had  been  in  Zara- 
hemla  at  the  time  of  Shiblon's  death,  the  latter 
would  have  transferred  the  records  and  other 
sacred  things  to  his  charge,  instead  of  to  their 
nephew,  Helaman ;  if  this  be  so,  it  is  evident  that 
by  his  later  life  he  had  proved  himself  worthy  of 
such  a  high  honor. 

CORIANTOK,  The  father  of  the  Prophet 
Ether ;  he  was  the  son  of  Moron,  one  of  those  un- 
fortunate kings  of  the  Jaredites,  who  was  deposed 
through  treason  and  rebellion,  and  held  a  prisoner 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  Coriantor  was  born 
in  captivity  and  remained  so  all  his  days.  This 
period  of  Jaredite  history  is  a  particularly  sad 
one;  it  is  an  epoch  of  sin  and  war.  Many 
prophets  appeared,  who  proclaimed  that  the  Lord 
would  execute  judgment  against  the  Jaredites  to 
their  utter  destru(ftion,  and  that  He  would  bring 
forth  another  people  to  possess  the  land,  as  He  had 
their  fathers ;  but  the  people  rejedled  all  the  words 
of  these  servants  of  God,  "because  of  their  secret 
societies  and  wicked  abominations;"  nevertheless, 
in  that  and  the  succeeding  generation  these 
prophecies  were  all  fulfilled — the  Jaredites  were 
destroyed  and  the  land  was  given  to  a  branch  of 
the  house  of  Israel. 

COKIANTUM.  A  good  king  of  the  Jared- 
ites. He  was  the  son  of  Emer,  who,  four  years  be- 
fore his  death,  anointed  Coriantum  to  reign  in  his 
stead.  He  v^as  a  righteous,  just  and  vigorous 
ruler,  and  in  his  days  the  Jaredites  were  greatly 
prospered  and  many  large  cities  were  built.  But 
he  had  no  children  until  he  was  exceedingly  old ; 
his  wife  died  when  she  was  102  years  of  age,  after 


Coriantum.  100  Goriantumr. 

which  he  married  a  young  maid,  who  bore  him  a 
large  family.  He  lived  until  he  was  142  years  old, 
when  he  died,  and  was  succeeded  on  the  throne  by 
his  son  Com. 

CORIANTUM.  A  Jaredite  prince,  the  son 
of  Omer;  he  was  born  while  his  father  was  held  in 
captivity  by  his  brother  Jared.  When  Corian- 
tum grew  to  manhood  he  became  exceedingly 
angry  at  the  course  pursued  by  Jared,  and  with 
another  brother,  Esrom,  he  raised  an  army  and 
made  an  unexpedled  night  attack  upon  the  forces 
of  Jared,  in  which  the  latter  were  almost  entirely 
destroyed.  They  then  restored  their  father  to  the 
throne .     ( See  Aki  sh . ) 

CORIANTUM.  One  of  the  royal  dynasty 
of  the  Jaredites,  who  was  held  in  captivity  during 
his  entire  life;  his  father's  name  was  Amnigaddah. 
In  the  days  of  his  ancestor,  Hearthrom,  the  reign- 
ing family  were  deposed,  and  for  several  genera- 
tions they  were  held  as  prisoners.  Com,  the  son 
of  Coriantum,  rebelled,  and,  after  a  lengthy  war, 
regained  possession  of  the  kingdom. 

CORIANTUMR.  A  descendant  of  Zarahem- 
la,  and,  consequently,  most  probably  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  Originally  he  was  a  Nephite,  but  like 
many  others  during  the  days  of  the  Judges,  he  dis- 
sented and  went  over  to  the  Lamanites.  He  was 
a  man  of  commanding  presence,  of  more  than  or- 
dinary stature  and  brilliant  parts,  with  a  reijuta- 
tion  for  wisdom  which  his  later  course  scarcely 
appears  to  warrant.  Tubaloth,  the  son  of  Am- 
moron,  king  of  the  Lamanites,  gave  him  high 
office,  and  when  (in  B.  C.  51)  the  invasion  of 
Zarahemla  was  determined  upon,Coriantumr  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  vast  and  well  armed 
host  raised  for  that  purpose. 

At  this  time,  through  internal  dissensions,  the 
Nephites  were  weak  and  distra(fted.  Their  chief 
judge  Pahornn  had  been  slain  the  year  previous  by 
a  hired   assassin,  and  his  brother  Pacumeni  had 


101  Coriantumr. 

just  been  eledled  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Apparently 
matters  were  still  in  an  unsettled  state  when  Cori- 
antumr suddenly  made  a  rapid  dash  down  the 
banks  of  the  Sidon,  through  the  most  thickly  popu- 
lated portions  of  the  Nephite  territory.  Every- 
where the  people  were  unprepared  to  withstand  his 
progress,  and  so  rapid  was  his  advance  that  the 
Nephites  had  no  time  to  gather  their  forces.  He 
unexpedledly,  through  forced  marches,  reached  the 
city  of  Zarahemla,  cut  down  the  weak  guard  at 
the  entrance  of  the  city,  and,  with  his  whole  army, 
entered  the  capital  of  the  Nephites  in  triumph. 
The  chief  judge  of  the  republic,  Pacumeni,  at- 
tempted to  escape,  but  was  followed  and  captured 
at  the  city  walls,  where  he  was  slain  by  Corian- 
tumr. 

The  Lamanite  general  appears  to  have  adled 
with  great  severity,  if  not  cruelty,  towards  the 
citizens  of  the  conquered  city.  He  slew  many, 
others  were  cast  into  prison,  and  he  made  himself 
undisputed  master  of  all  it  contained. 

This  easy  vidlor3^  greatly  emboldened  Corian- 
tumr. He  determined  to  carry  out  the  same 
maneuvres  and,if  possible,  obtain  command  of  the 
northern  parts  of  the  land.  Therefore,  leaving  a 
portion  of  his  forces  to  garrison  Zarahemla,  he 
marched  rapidly  northward  at  the  head  of  a  large 
army.  The  small  bands  of  Nephite  patriots  who 
hastily  gathered  to  oppose  his  progress  were  met 
in  detail  and  overwhelmed.  The  number  of  their 
slain  was  very  large. 

Moronihah,  the  Nephite  general,  had  antici- 
pated that  Coriantumr,  following  the  usual  custom 
of  the  Lamanite  leaders,  would  first  attack  the 
most  exposed  and  outlying  cities,  and  consequently 
had  there  posted  his  armies  of  defense.  Corian- 
tumr's  maneuvre  was  therefore  a  complete  surprise 
to  him,  and  it  took  some  little  time  before  he 
could  gather  his  troops  to  do  efficient  service.  In 
the  meantime,  the  Lamanites  continued  their  vie- 


Ooriantumr.  102 

torious  march  northward,  capturing  manj^  cities, 
and  slaying  multitudes  of  men,  women  and  children. 
Coriantumr's  success  so  intoxicated  him,  that 
he  became  reckless,  and  lost  his  reputed  wis- 
dom and  prudence,  and  negledled  to  keep  up 
the  line  of  communication  in  his  rear.  As  he 
neared  the  land  of  Bountiful  he  was  met  by 
the  veteran  Lehi,  who  gave  him  battle.  His 
former  fortune  forsook  him  and  he  was  compelled 
to  retire.  While  making  his  way  as  diredlly  as  he 
could  towards  Zarahemla,  Lehi  following  in  pur- 
suit, he  found  himself  confronted  by  the  Nephite 
commander-in-chief,  when  a  bloody  battle  ensued, 
in  which  Coriantumr  w^as  slain.  The  Lamanites 
were  now  in  a  most  perplexing  position,  they  were 
defeated  and  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy's  country, 
and  so  completely  surrounded  by  the  Nephites  that 
there  was  no  road  open  for  retreat.  They  could 
take  but  one  course,  which  was  to  surrender ;  this 
they  did. 

When  Moronihah  reoccupied  the  city  of  Zara- 
hemla,  he  released  the  Lamanite  prisoners  and 
permitted  them  to  return  to  their  own  land  in 
peace.  Thus  ended  a  bloody  and  ineffectual  cam- 
paign, and  thus  terminated  the  life  of  one  of  the 
most  brilliant,  if  not  the  most  successful,  com- 
manders that  ever  led  the  hosts  of  Laman. 

CORIANTUMR.  The  last  of  the  Jaredites. 
We  are  first  introduced  to  him  as  king  of  the  whole 
land.  In  his  day  the  prophet  Ether  raised  his 
warning  voice,  but  all  his  words  of  exhortation 
and  reproof  were  rejedled  by  that  rapidly  decaying 
race.  They  cast  him  out  from  their  midst,  and  he 
spent  his  days  in  a  mountain  cave;  while  thus  hid- 
den he  wrote  the  history  of  his  times.  Troublous 
and  terrible  times  they  w^ere,  for  the  war  that 
commenced  in  the  first  year  of  Ether's  conceal- 
ment lasted  until  the  nation  was  destroyed.  This 
war  became  one  of  the  most  bloodthirsty,  cruel 
and  vindi(ftive  that  ever  cursed  our  fair  planet.    It 


103  Coriantumr. 

was  not  the  work  of  a  day,  it  was  the  out- 
growth of  centuries  of  dishonor,  crime  and  in- 
iquity. Men's  most  savage  passions  were  worked 
up  to  such  an  extent  that  every  better  feeling  of 
humanity  was  crushed  out.  The  women  and 
children  armed  themselves  for  the  fray  with  the 
same  fiendish  adlivity,  and  fought  with  the  same 
intense  hate,  as  the  men.  It  was  not  a  confli<?b  of 
armies  alone ;  it  was  the  crushing  together  of  a 
divided  house  that  had  long  tottered  because  of 
internal  weakness,  but  now  fell  in  upon  itself. 

Coriantumr  himself  was  a  mighty  prince,  well 
versed  in  the  art  of  war,  cunning,  diplomatic  and 
learned  ;  but  exceedingly  corrupt.  Like  his  people, 
he  gave  no  heed  to  the  prophecies  of  Ether.  The  war 
commenced  in  a  powerful  revolution  against  him, 
led  by  some  of  the  most  influential  men  in  the 
kingdom,  who  adled  as  leaders  of  the  secret, 
Gadianton-like  bands  that  overspread  the  nation. 
In  the  first  year  of  the  war  much  blood  was  spilt ; 
Coriantumr's  own  sons  being  among  the  foremost 
in  the  defense  of  their  father's  rights.  In  the 
second  year  Ether  again  appeared  and  declared  that 
if  the  people  repented  not  they  should  every  one 
be  slain,  except  Coriantumr.  They  heeded  not  his 
voice,  but  sought  to  slay  him,  and  he  again  retired 
to  his  place  of  concealment.  In  the  third  year. 
Shared,  a  leader  of  the  revolutionists,  defeated 
Coriantumr,  and  held  him  a  prisoner.  In  the 
fourth  year,  the  sons  of  Coriantumr  released  their 
father  and  placed  him  again  on  the  throne.  Then 
war  extended  over  all  the  continent,  every  man, 
with  his  band,  fighting  for  that  which  he  desired. 
It  was  a  reign  of  anarchy  and  crime  ;  men's  hatreds 
and  evil  passions  growing  more  intense  as  the 
bloodshed  spread.  At  last  the  vast  armies  of 
Coriantumr  and  Shared  met  in  the  valley  of  Gil- 
gal  and  fought  for  three  days.  The  king  was 
vi6lorious  and  he  pursued  his  foe  to  the  plains  of 
Heshlon.    There  Shared  turned  upon  the  vidlori- 


Coriantumr.  104 

ous  army  and  drove  them  back  to  the  valley  of 
Gilgal.  Another  desperate  battle  took  place  in 
this  valley,  in  which  Shared's  forces  were  beaten, 
he  himself  was  slain,  and  Coriantumr  so  severely 
wounded  that  he  did  not  go  to  battle  again  for 
two  years,  during  which  time  the  people  in  all  the 
land  were  shedding  blood,  and  there  was  none  to 
restrain  them. 

Two  years  after  Shared 's  death,  his  brother 
uprose,  to  take  his  place.  But  he  was  defeated  by 
Coriantumr  and  his  forces  driven  into  the  wilder- 
ness of  Akish,  where  another  exceedingly  bloody 
battle  was  fought.  After  a  time,  the  armies  of 
G/7eac/,the  brother  of  Shared,  made  a  night  attack 
on  a  portion  of  Coriantumr's  hosts.  They  being 
drunken  were  easily  overcome,  and  the  conqueror 
marched  to  the  land  of  Moron  and  placed  himself 
upon  the  throne,  where  he  was  slain  by  his  high 
priest,  shortly  afterward, 

Coriantumr  continued  in  the  wilderness  two 
years,  during  which  time  he  gained  many  acces- 
sions to  his  forces.  When  strong  enough,  he  at- 
tacked the  giant  Lib,  who  had  assumed  the  kingly 
authority.  In  the  first  battle  Coriantumr  was 
vi(?torious,  though  wounded.  He  pursued  Lib  to 
the  sea  shore,  where  they  fought  again,  and  Cori- 
antumr's armies  were  forced  back  into  the  wilder- 
ness of  Akish,  and  yet  farther,  even  to  the  plains  of 
Agosh.  Coriantumr  gathered  up  all  the  people  as 
he  retreated.  Another  horrible  conflidl  ensued. 
Lib  was  killed,  but  his  brother  Shiz  assumed  the 
command,  and  utterly  routed  the  forces  of  Cori- 
antumr. The  horrors  of  war  now  grew  apace; 
the  whole  country  was  ravaged,  its  entire  face  was 
covered  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  for  neither 
women  nor  children  were  spared  by  the  ruthless 
warriors.  The  pursuit  did  not  stop  until  Corian- 
tumr was  forced  back  across  the  continent  to  the 
sea  shore.  There  they  fought  for  three  days,  when 
Coriantumr's  star  was  again  in  the  ascendant,  and 


105  Coriantumr. 

he  drove  Shiz  back  to  the  land  of  Corihor.  As 
Shiz  retreated,  he  swept  off  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  lands  through  which  he  passed  who  would  not 
join  him.  Shiz  and  his  forces  halted  in  the  valley 
of  Corihor,  and  Coriantumr  established  him- 
self in  the  valley  of  Shurr,  and  from  the  neighbor- 
ing hill  of  Comnor  challenged  Shiz.  The  latter 
made  two  unsuccessful  attacks  upon  Coriantumr, 
but  after  a  third  desperate  battle  he  was  vidlori- 
ous,  for  Coriantumr  was  terribly  wounded  and 
fainted  from  loss  of  blood.  But  the  loss  of  men, 
v^omen  and  children  was  so  great  on  both  sides 
that  Shiz  w^as  not  strong  enough  to  take  advan- 
tage of  his  vi(ftory.  At  this  time,  some  four  or 
more  years  before  the  final  battles  around  and 
near  the  hill  Ramah  (otherwise  Cumorah),  two 
millions  of  warriors  had  been  slain,  besides  their 
wives  and  children.  How  many  millions  acftually 
fell  before  the  last  terrible  struggle  ended,  when 
Coriantumr  stood  alone,  the  sole  representative  of 
his  race,  it  is  impossible  to  tell  from  the  record  that 
has  been  handed  down  to  us,  but  we  think  w^e  are 
justified  in  believing  that  for  bloodshed  and  deso- 
lation no  such  war  ever  took  place  before,  or  ever 
occurred  since  in  the  history  of  this  world ;  if  the 
annals  of  any  nation  have  the  record  of  its  equal, 
it  is  not  known  to  us. 

When  Coriantumr  sensed  how  great  was  the 
slaughter  of  the  people,  he  wrote  to  Shiz,  oifering 
to  withdrawfrom  the  conflidl  that  bloodshed  might 
cease.  But  Shiz  refused,  unless  Coriantumr  sur- 
rendered, that  Shiz  might  have  the  gratification 
of  slaying  him  himself.  So  the  war  was  renewed 
with  intensified  bitterness.  Shiz  was  vidlorious 
and  the  defeated  army  fled  as  far  as  the  waters  of 
Ripliancum,  supposed  to  be  Lake  Ontario.  In  this 
region  another  hotly  contested  battle  was  fought, 
in  which  Coriantumr  was  once  again  severely 
wounded,  but  his  troops  were  the  vidlors,  and 
drove  the  enemy  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  hill 


Oorihor.  106 

Ram  ah.  Here  they  rested  at  bay  four  years,  both 
parties  scouring  the  country  for  recruits,  until 
every  man,  woman  and  child  on  the  continent  had 
been  enlisted  on  one  side  or  the  other.  There, 
filled  with  the  spirits  of  demons,  they  confronted 
each  other,  and  w^hen  the  fight  began  it  con- 
tinued day  after  day,  until  every  soul  was  slain  ex- 
cept Coriantumr;  the  last  man  slain  being  Shiz, 
whose  head  was  smitten  off  by  Coriantumr;  while 
the  latter  fainted  from  the  loss  of  blood,  by  reason 
of  the  w^ounds  he  had  received  in  the  conflidl. 

Coriantumr,  when  he  regained  consciousness, 
wandered  forth,  aimlessly  and  alone,  the  last  of 
his  race.  A  whole  continent  lay  around  about 
him,  but  there  was  nothing,  in  any  place,  to  invite 
him  either  to  tarry  or  depart.  Weak  from  loss  of 
blood,  he  staggered  on,  placing  as  great  a  distance 
as  his  failing  powers  would  permit  between  him- 
self and  the  horrors  of  the  last  battle  ground.  He 
passed  onward  through  each  deserted  valley,  each 
tenantless  town ;  in  neither  was  there  any  human 
voice  to  greet  or  to  chide  him ;  the  homes  of  his 
own  people  and  those  of  his  enemies  were  alike — a 
silent  desolation ;  all  the  land  was  a  wilderness. 

How  long  he  thus  wandered  to  and  fro, 
wretched,  comfortless  and  forlorn,  we  know  not; 
but  at  last  he  reached  the  southern  portion  of  the 
northern  continent,  thousands  of  miles  from 
Ramah,  and  there,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
both,  he  found  the  people  of  Mulek,  who  had  been 
led  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  With 
them  he  spent  his  few  remaining  days,  and  when 
nine  moons  had  grown  and  waned  he  passed 
away  to  join  the  hosts  of  his  people  in  the  un- 
known world  of  spirits. 

CORIHOR.  A  Jaredite  prince,  the  son  of 
Kib,  and  grandson  of  Orihah,  the  first  king  of 
that  race.  He  was  the  first  who  raised  the 
standard  of  revolt  and  caused  war  and  bloodshed 
in  the  midst  of  that  people ;  for  when  Corihor  was 


Corihor.  107  Oorum. 

32  years  old  he  rebelled  against  his  father,  and 
went  from  Moron  and  established  himself  in  the 
land  of  Nehor.  There  he  drew  many  to  him; 
when  strong  enough  he  invaded  the  land  of 
Moron,  took  the  king,  his  father,  captive  and 
reigned  in  his  stead.  After  many  years,  Shule,  a 
son  born  to  Kib  while  in  captivity,  drove  Corihor 
from  the  throne  and  replaced  their  father  thereon. 
After  this,  Corihor  appears  to  have  been  loyal  to 
his  father  and  to  his  brother  Shule,  who  succeeded 
Kib.  For  this  devotion  Corihor  was  placed  in 
authority  in  the  nation;  but  one  of  his  sons, 
named  Noah,  proved  a  traitor,  and  rose  in  rebel- 
lion against  Shule  and  Corihor,  and  eventually 
obtained  possession  of  the  kingdom. 

COKIHOR.  A  prominent  Jaredite  of  the 
latest  generation  (between  700  and  600  B.  C). 
He  appears  to  have  been  an  associate  of  Corian- 
tutnr,  and  to  have  had  man^'  fair  sons  and 
daughters.  Further  than  this  nothing  is  known 
of  him. 

CORIHOK,  LAND  AND  VALLEY.  The 
scene  of  some  of  the  most  hotly  contested  battles 
between  Shiz  and  Coriantumr,  in  the  last  great 
Jaredite  war.  Its  locality  is  unknown,  but  it  was 
evidently  on  the  northern  continent.  Shiz,  having 
been  defeated  by  Coriantumr,  retreated  to  this 
valley,  sweeping  off  before  him  the  inhabitants  who 
would  not  join  him.  There  his  army  pitched  its 
tents,  but  when  thecontendinghosts  of  men,  women 
and  children  were  sufficiently  rested,  Coriantumr 
challenged  Shiz.  Three  battles  ensued.  Shiz  was, 
in  the  end,  vi(?torious;  but  so  weakened  were  his 
followers  that  they  could  not  follow  up  their 
vidlory,  and  from  sheer  exhaustion  hostilities 
ceased  for  a  time. 

CORUM.  One  of  the  few  righteous  kings  of 
the  Jaredites.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he  did  good 
all  his  days.  He  was  the  son  and  successor  of 
Levi,  and  when  he  died  at  a  very  advanced  age, 


Cumeni.  108  Oumorah,  Hill. 

leaving  a  numerous  posterity,  his  son  Kish  reigned 
in  his  stead. 

CUMENI.  A  Nephite  cit^^  in  the  southwest 
of  their  possessions,  or  near  the  Pacific  coast. 
When  first  mentioned  it  was  in  the  possession  of  the 
Lamanites  (B.  C.  66).  In  B.  C.  63,  the  Nephites 
under  Helaman  lay  siege  to  it,  captured  the  trains 
of  provisions  sent  to  its  relief,  and  eventually  com- 
pelled it  to  capitulate.  A  desperate  but  ineffedlual 
attempt  was  soon  after  made  by  the  Lamanites  to 
recapture  it,  in  which  both  sides  suffered  much 
loss.  This  vidlory  of  the  Nephites  was  largely 
due  to  the  intrepid  valor  of  the  2,000  young 
Ammonites  under  the  command  of  Helaman. 
Cumeni  is  only  mentioned  in  connedlion  with  this 
war. 

CUMOM.  A  useful  animal  known  to  the 
Jaredites,  (Ether  9:  19).  By  some  supposed  to  be 
the  Mastodon,  by  others  the  Alpaca  or  Llama. 

CUMORAH,  HILL.  One  of  the  most  noted 
places  in  ancient  American  history  was  the  land  in 
which  was  situated  the  hill  known  to  the  Jaredites 
as  Ramah,  and  to  the  Nephites  as  Cumorah.  In  its 
vicinity  two  great  races  were  exterminated ;  for 
it  was  there  that  the  last  battles  were  fought  in 
the  history  of  both  people.  There  also  the  sacred 
records  of  the  Nephites  found  their  final  resting 
place.  When  iniquity  began  to  increase  in  their 
midst,  Atnmaron  hid  the  holy  things  in  the  hill 
Shim  (A.  C.  321).  About  fifty-five  years  after 
(say  in  A.  C.  376)  Mormon^  seeing  that  his  people 
were  fast  melting  away  before  the  Lamanites,  and 
fearing  that  the  latter  would  get  possession  of  the 
records  and  destroy  them,  removed  all  that  had 
been  placed  in  his  care  by  Ammaron,  and  after- 
wards hid  up  in  the  hill  Cumorah  all  that  had 
been  entrusted  to  him  by  the  hands  of  the  Lord, 
save  the  few^  plates  which  he  gave  to  his  son 
Moroni,  Moro/?/ afterwards  concealed  the  treas- 
ures committed  to  his  keeping  in  the  same  hill. 


Curelom.  109    Desolation,  City  of. 

where  they  remained  until  they  were,  by  Heaven's 
permission,  exhumed  and  translated  by  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  This  hill  is  situated  about 
three  or  four  miles  from  Palmyra,  in  the  State  of 
New  York. 

CURELOM.  A  useful  animal  known  to  the 
Jaredites,  By  some  supposed  to  He  the  Mastodon, 
by  others  the  Llama  or  Alpaca  (Ether  9 :  19). 

CUSH.  A  land,  supposed  to  be  Ethiopia, 
mentioned  (II  Nephi,  21 :  11)  in  a  quotation  from 
the  prophecies  of  Isaiah. 

DAMASCUS.  The  chief  city  of  Syria,  men- 
tioned four  times  in  quotations  from  the  book  of 

DAVID.  The  king  of  Israel.  The  name  is 
mentioned  in  Nephi's  quotations  from  Isaiah;  he 
is  also  referred  to  in  Jacob's  discourse  on  polyg- 
amy. 

'DAVID,  LAND  OF.  A  land,  probably  in 
the  most  northern  part  of  South  America,  from 
which  the  Nephites,  under  Mormon,  were  driyen, 
A.  C.  328,  by  the  armies  of  the  Lamanites ;  they 
then  retreated  to  the  land  of  Joshua,  which  was 
on  the  western  sea  coast.  This  is  the  only  time 
that  this  land  is  mentioned  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon. 

DESERET.  The  Jaredite  name  for  the  honey 
bee.  The  original  colony  carried  these  bees  with 
them  from  Asia  to  America.     (Ether  2:3.) 

DESOLATION,  CITY  OF.  Though  the 
land  of  Desolation  is  so  frequently  referred  to  in 
the  earlier  annals  of  the  Nephites,  nothing  is  said 
of  a  city  of  that  name  until  the  time  of  the  great 
final  war  between  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites, 
and  we  are  left  in  doubt  as  to  whether  it  was 
built  or  not,  until  after  the  advent  of  the  Redeemer. 
Some  suppose  it  was  the  place  where  Hagoth^s 
shipyards  originally  stood  ;  it  is  evident  it  was  on 
the  sea  coast,  as  we  are  told  that  after  one  im- 
portant battle  the  bodies  of  the  slain  were  thrown 


Desolation,  Land  of.  110 

into  the  sea.  In  the  year  A.  C.  361,  the  Laman- 
ites  attacked  Desolation,  but  were  repulsed  and 
driven  back  to  their  own  lands.  During  the  next 
year  they  made  another  inefFedlual  attack,  in 
which  they  sustained  great  loss.  So  great  was 
the  exultation  of  the  Nephites  at  this  last  vidlory 
that  their  excesses  knew  no  bounds,  and  they 
gave  way  so  grossl3'  to  iniquity,  that  Mormon  re- 
fused to  lead  them  any  longer  to  battle.  Strong 
in  their  own  vain  strength,  in  A.  C.  363  the 
Nephites  invaded  the  lands  of  the  Lamanites,  but 
were  disastrously  repulsed  and  pursued,  and  the 
city  ot  Desolation  was  wrested  from  them ;  they, 
however,  recaptured  it  shortly  after.  In  A.  C. 
366,  the  Lamanites  once  more  became  the  masters 
of  the  city,  but  lost  it  again  the  following  year. 
The  Nephites  retained  possession  of  this  strong- 
hold until  A.  C.  375,  when  the  Lamanites  drove 
them  out  of  all  that  region,  and  apparently  held  it 
until  the  end  of  the  war,  and  the  extindlion  of  the 
Nephites  at  Cumorah. 

DESOLATION,  LAND  OF.  Before  the 
time  of  the  Nephites  this  region  was  thickly  in- 
habited by  the  Jaredites.  In  the  days  of  the  latter 
people  Bountiful  formed  its  southern  border.  The 
two  lands  apparently  joined  at  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  At  first,  like  most  frontier  distridls,  it 
extended  indefinitely  into  the  uninhabited  regions. 
When  other  lands  were  colonized  its  boundaries 
became  more  definitely  fixed.  It  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  have  embraced  within  its  borders  the 
region  know  to  moderns  as  Central  America.  Its 
capital  was  a  city  of  the  same  name,  probably 
built  in  later  years,  as  it  is  never  mentioned  but 
by  Mormon  in  the  account  of  the  long  series  of 
wars  in  which  he  took  so  prominent  a  part. 

DESOLATION  OF  NEHOKS.  The  name 
given  by  the  Nephites  to  the  spot  where  the  sin- 
stained  city  of  Ammonihah  once  stood.  It  re- 
ceived that  name  because  it  remained  a  wilder- 


Ill  Disciples. 

ness  and  a  desolation  for  a  number  of  years  after 
the  destrudlion  of  the  city,  the  stench  from  the 
rotting  bodies  of  its  former  citizens  making  it  un- 
inhabitable. The  name  of  Nehors  was  added 
because  those  who  had  been  slain  were  followers 
of  that  false  teacher. 

DISCIPLES,  THE  TWELVE.  When  the 
risen  Redeemer  appeared  to  the  Nephites  in  the 
land  Bountiful  (A.  C.  34),  he  chose  twelve  men 
as  his  disciples,  to  whom  he  gave  authority  to 
perform  the  rite  of  baptism  and  administer  in  the 
other  ordinances  of  the  Gospel.  On  these  twelve, 
who  are  always  called  Disciples  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  and  never  Apostles,  was  conferred  the 
power  to  judge  the  descendants  of  Lehi  at  the  final 
judgment  day,  as  they  themselves  were  to  be 
judged  by  the  Twelve  Apostles  chosen  by  the  Lord 
from  among  the  Jews.  The  names  of  the  twelve 
Nephite  disciples  were:  Nephi,his  brother  Timothy 
and  his  son  Jonas,  Mathoni,  Mathonihah,  Kumen, 
Kumenonhi,  Jeremiah,  Shemnon,  Jonas,  Zedekiah 
and  Isaiah.  To  these  twelve  our  Savior  gave 
many  instrudlions,  which  he  withheld  from  the 
multitude. 

On  one  occasion,  toward  the  close  of  His  min- 
istrations, He  asked  them,  one  by  one:  What  is  it 
that  you  desire  of  me,  after  I  am  gone  to  the 
Father?  Thennineof  them  said.  We  desire,  after  we 
have  lived  unto  the  age  of  man,  that  our  ministry, 
wherein  thou  hast  called  us,  may  have  an  end, 
that  we  may  speedily  come  unto  thee  in  thy  king- 
dom. And  he  said  unto  them.  Blessed  are  ye,  be- 
cause ye  desire  this  thing  of  me;  therefore,  after  that 
ye  are  seventy  and  two  years  old,  ye  shall  come 
unto  me  in  my  kingdom,  and  with  me  ye  shall  find 
rest. 

Then  He  turned  to  the  three  who  had  not 
answered,  and  again  asked  them  what  they  would 
have  Him  do  for  them.  But  thej"  faltered  in  their 
reply;  their  wish  was  such  a  peculiar  one,  that 


Disciples.  112 

they  were  afraid  to  express  it.  Then  He  told 
them  that  He  l^new  their  thoughts,  that  they  had 
desired  that  they  might  bring  souls  unto  Him, 
while  the  world  stood.  And  because  of  the 
purity  and  disinterestedness  of  this  desire  He 
promised  the  three  Disciples  that  they  should  never 
taste  of  death,  but  when  He  should  come  in  His 
glory,  they  should  be  changed  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye  from  mortality  to  immortality,  and  should 
sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Father,  and  their 
joy  should  be  full.  And  further,  that  while  they 
dwelt  in  the  flesh,  they  should  not  suffer  pain,  nor 
experience  sorrow,  save  it  were  for  the  sins  of  the 
world.  Then  Jesus  with  His  finger  touched  the 
nine  who  were  to  die,  but  the  three  who  were  to 
live  He  did  not  touch,  and  then  He  departed.  After- 
wards the  heavens  were  opened,  and  the  three 
were  caught  up  into  heaven,  and  a  change  was 
there  wrought  upon  their  mortal  natures.  But, 
Mormon  says  (III  Nephi,  28 :  39,  40)  : 

''This  change  was  not  equal  to  that  which 
should  take  place  at  the  last  da^^ ;  but  there  was  a 
change  wrought  upon  them,  insomuch  that  Satan 
could  have  no  power  over  them,  that  he  could  not 
tempt  them,  and  they  were  sanAified  in  the 
flesh,  that  they  were  holy,  and  that  the  powers  of 
the  earth  could  not  hold  them ;  and  in  this 
state  they  were  to  remain  until  the  judgment  day 
of  Christ;  and  at  that  day  they  were  to  rec 
a  greater  change,  and  to  be  received  into  the  king- 
dom of  the  Father  to  go  no  more  out,  but  to 
dwell  with  God  eternally  in  the  heavens."  They 
also  saw  unspeakable  things,  which  they  were 
forbidden  to  utter ;  in  fadl,  the  power  to  tell  these 
mysteries  was  withheld  from  them. 

The  sacred  record  gives  no  information  as  to 
who  the  three  were  who  were  not  to  taste  of 
death.  Mormon  was  about  to  write  their  names, 
but  the  Lord  forbade  him. 

After  the  final  ascension  of  the  Savior  the  twelve 


113  Disciples. 

labored  zealously  in  proclaiming  His  word.  Theirs 
was  a  most  happy  task,  for  all  the  people  heeded 
their  sayings;  and  in  a  short  time  every  soul  on 
both  continents  had  accepted  the  message  they 
bore.  It  was  now  their  joy  to  lead  the  people  up- 
ward in  all  the  laws  of  the  everlasting  Gospel, 
bringing  them  nearer  to  heaven  and  to  God,  each 
succeeding  day.  In  this  glorious  ministry,  and 
with  these  delightful  and  most  peaceful  surround- 
ings, nine  continued  to  labor  until  they  passed 
away  to  the  realms  of  the  blessed.  The  other  three 
continued  their  Godlike  labors,  year  after  year,  un- 
til a  change  began  to  come  over  the  spirit  of  the 
people.  Little  by  little  they  lost  their  first  love; 
little  by  little,  but  ever  at  increasing  rate,  in- 
iquity grew  in  their  midst.  By  and  by,  schis- 
matic churches  arose,  dissenting  sedls  multi- 
plied, infidels  abounded.  As  the  decades  rolled 
by,  the  people  waxed  greatly  in  iniquity  and 
in  impurity  of  life.  After  a  time  they  began 
to  persecute  the  more  faithful  and  humble, 
even  the  three  Disciples  were  not  spared  from  their 
malignant  hate.  They  were  shut  up  in  prison,  but 
the  prisons  were  rent  in  twain  by  the  power  of 
God;  they  were  cast  into  fiery  furnaces,  but  the 
flames  burned  them  not;  they  were  thrown  into 
dens  of  wild  beasts,  but  they  played  with  the 
savage  inmates  as  a  child  does  with  a  lamb,  and 
received  no  harm.  Death  had  no  power  over  them; 
swords  would  not  slay  them  ;  fire  would  not  burn 
them ;  prisons  could  not  hold  them ;  chains  could 
not  bind  them  ;  the  grave  could  not  entomb  them ; 
the  earth  would  not  conceal  them,  for  they  had 
passed  through  a  glorious  change  which  freed 
them  from  earthly  pain,  suffering  and  death.  The 
age  in  which  they  ministered  was  a  peculiar  one. 
Under  ordinary  circumstances,  the  superhuman 
powers  shown  by  them  would  have  brought  the 
wicked  to  repentance.  But  the  happy  age  of  peace 
and    innocence  that    had    followed    the    Savior's 


Eden,  Garden  of.       114  Egypt. 

ministry  was  fast  passing  awaj^ ;  the  people  were 
hardening  their  hearts;  they  were  relapsing 
into  iniquity  with  their  eyes  open,  and  they  were 
sinning  knowingly  and  understanding^.  Angels 
from  heaven  would  not  have  converted  them  ;  they 
had  given  themselves  up  to  Satan,  and  every 
manifestation  of  the  power  of  God  in  behalf  of  his 
servants  only  made  them  more  angry,  and  more 
determined  upon  the  destrudlion  of  those  who 
sounded  in  their  ears  the  unwelcome  message  of 
Divine  wrath.  The  hurricane  might  demolish  the 
dungeon ;  the  earthquake  overthrow  the  walls  of 
the  prison;  the  earth  refuse  to  close  when  the  Dis- 
ciples were  cast  into  it;  these  protests  of  nature 
simply  caused  their  hardened  hearts  to  conjure  up 
fresh  methods  of  torture  and  devise  new  means  to 
destroy  those  whom  they  so  intensely,  and  yet  so 
unwarrantably  hated.  But  they  ever  failed;  the 
three  Nephites  still  live.  Encountering  thus  the 
rage  and  cruelty  of  the  wicked  they  gradually  with- 
drew ;  their  ministrations  grew  more  unfrequent ; 
until  at  last  they  ceased  to  visit  the  haunts  of  men 
altogether.  Moroni  states  that  he  and  his  father 
Mormon  had  seen  them  and  been  ministered  to 
by  them;  and  these,  the  last  two  prophets  of  their 
race,  were,  in  all  probability,  the  last  of  that  dis- 
pensation who  were  favored  with  a  visit  from 
these  three  Nephites.  They  have  also  been  seen  by 
numbers  of  the  faithful  in  this  dispensation. 

EDEN,  THE  GAI^DEN  OF.  Mentioned 
six  times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon;  always,  except 
in  one  case,  in  connection  with  the  expulsion  of 
our  first  parents  therefrom. 

EDOM.  The  land  east  of  Canaan,  inhabited 
by  the  descendants  of  Esau.  It  is  mentioned  but 
once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  a  quotation  from 
the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  (II  Nephi,  21 :  14). 

EGYPT.  The  land  of  that  name  in  Africa. 
It  is  mentioned  frequently  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon,   generally   in    conne(5lion    with    the    life    of 


Egyptian,  Reformed.   115  Emer. 

Joseph,  the  son  of  Jacob;  or  with  the  bondage  of 
the  Israelites  therein. 

EGYPTIAN,  KEFORMED.  The  name 
given  to  the  style  of  charadlers  in  use  in  the  days 
of  Mormon,  in  which  the  records  were  engraven 
on  the  sacred  plates.  These  characters  were 
greatly  modified  Irom  those  used  by  Nephi  and 
the  other  earlier  recorders. 

EGYPTIANS.  The  people  of  Egypt.  They 
are  referred  to  in  connection  with  their  language 
(I  Nephi,  1:3),  and  the  deliverance  of  the  Israelites 
from  bondage  under  Moses. 

EGYPTIAN  SEA.  A  name  given  by  Isaiah 
to  the  Red  Sea,  and  so  spoken  of  in  a  quotation 
from  that  prophet.  (II  Nephi,  21:15). 

ELAM.  The  land  of  the  Elamites,  a  coun- 
try lying  south  of  Assyria.  It  is  only  mentioned 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  a  quotation  from 
Isaiah  (II  Nephi,  21:11). 

ELIJAH.  The  prophet  of  Israel.  His  name 
only  appears  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  the  Sa- 
vior's quotation  from  Malachi, "Behold  I  will  send 
you  Elijah,  the  prophet,"  (III  Nephi,  25:  5). 

EMER.  One  of  the  early  kings  of  the  Jared- 
ites.  Two  years  before  his  death,  Omer,  his 
father,  anointed  him  to  reign  in  his  stead.  Emer 
was  one  of  the  best  kings  of  his  race,  he  executed 
judgment  in  righteousness  all  his  days.  In  his 
reign  the  people  greatly  increased  in  numbers  and 
in  wealth,  becoming  the  owners  of  large  herds  of 
useful  animals,  and  rich  in  agricultural  and  mineral 
products,  in  gems  and  fine  manufactured  goods. 
The  curse,  also,  which  had  come  upon  the  land 
during  the  days  of  Akish  because  of  the  iniquity 
of  the  people,  began  to  be  removed,  as  they  were 
now  living  more  righteously.  Emer's  was  a 
lengthy  reign  ;  sixty-two  years  are  mentioned;  but 
it  is  not  evident  whether  this  period  covers  the 
whole  of  his  reign  or  not.  When  he  died,  full  of 
years  and  honor,  he  was  succeeded  by  one  of  his 


Emron.  116  Ephraim,  Hill. 

numerous  sons,  named  CorJantum,  whom  he  had 
anointed  king  four  years  before  his  death.  It  is 
recorded  of  Emer  that  he  saw  the  Son  of  Right- 
eousness, and  did  rejoice  and  glorify  in  his  day. 

EMKON.  A  Nephite  officer,  mentioned  in 
Mormon's  second  epistle  to  his  son  as  having  been 
slain  in  a  severe  battle  with  the  Lamanites.  From 
the  context  we  judge  he  was  held  in  high  regard 
by  Mormon. 

ENOS.  A  Nephite  prophet,  the  grandson  of 
Lehi  and  Sariah.  Enos,  if  not  the  leading  spirit 
of  the  age  among  his  people,  was  undoubtedly 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  and  zealous  servants 
of  the  Lord  who  ministered  and  prophesied  to  the 
earty  Nephites.  The  son  of  Jacob,  the  priest  and 
historian  of  the  colony,  he  succeeded  his  father 
in  these  sacred  offices,  and  appears  to  have  in- 
herited his  faith,  gentleness  and  devotion.  Of  his 
personal  life  we  have  no  particulars,  but  it  is 
evident  that  he  was  a  very  aged  man  at  the 
time  of  his  departure  from  the  scenes  of  mortality. 
His  father,  Jacob,  was  the  elder  of  the  two  sons 
born  to  Lehi  in  the  Asiatic  wilderness,  between  the 
year  600  and  590  before  Christ.  We  have  no 
direcft  statement  either  of  Enos'  birth  or  the  exact 
time  of  his  death;  all  we  know  is  that  when 
he  left  this  earth  he  gave  the  records  and  the 
sacred  things  associated  therewith  into  the  hands 
of  his  son  Jarom,  180  years  after  Lehi  left  Jerusa- 
lem, or  B.  C.  421. 
^,i\  EPHRAIM.  The  name  used  by  Isaiah  for 
^  *  the  Kingdom  of  Israel,  and  used  in  the  same  sense 
in  Nephi's  quotations  from  the  writings  of  that 
prophet. 

EPHRAIM,  HILL.  A  hill  mentioned  in 
the  Book  of  Ether  (Ether  7:9),  from  which  Shule 
obtained  iron  ore  with  which  to  make  swords  to 
arm  his  followers,  in  their  effiDrt  to  replace  his 
father  Kib  on  the  throne.  We  judge  this  hill 
to  have  been  situated  in  Central  America,   as  it 


^ 


Esrom.  117  Ether. 

was  evidently  at  no  very  great  distance  from  the 
land  Moron,  afterwards  Desolation. 

ESROM.  A  son  of  the  unfortunate  Jared- 
ite  king  Omer,  born  to  him  while  he  was  held  in 
captivity  by  his  son  Jared.  Esrom  and  his  brother 
Coriantumr,  growing  exceedingh^  angry  at  the 
treatment  received  by  their  father,  raised  an  army 
and  made  a  night  attack  upon  the  forces  of  the 
usurper,  in  w^hich  they  gained  a  complete  yiSlotj, 
Jared's  army  being  destroyed  and  he  himself  taken 
prisoner.  Esrom  and  his  associates  then  replaced 
their  father  on  the  throne.  In  the  rebellion  of 
Akish  it  is  said  that  the  Lord  was  merciful  to 
Omer  and  also  to  his  sons  and  daughters  who  did 
not  seek  his  destrucftion.  It  is,  therefore,  altogether 
probable  that  if  Esrom  still  lived  he  accompanied 
his  father  in  his  exile  to  the  distant  land  of 
Ablom. 

ETHEM.  A  wicked  king  of  the  later  Jared- 
ites,  living,  most  probably,  in  the  eighth  century 
before  Christ.  He  was  the  son  and  successor  of 
Ahah.  In  Ethem's  days,  many  prophets  came  and 
prophesied  that  unless  the  Jaredites  repented 
the  Lord  would  utterly  destroy  them  from  the 
earth.  But  the  people  hardened  their  hearts  and 
repented  not;  and  the  prophets  mourned  over 
their  depravity  and  withdrew  from  among  them. 
Ethem  was  as  his  people,  and  did  wickedly  all 
his  days ;  and  when  he  died  he  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  Moron,  who  w^as  like  unto  his  father. 

ETHER.  The  last  great  prophet  of  the  Jared- 
ites, to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  history  of 
that  race,  for  it  is  an  abridgment  of  Ether's  writ- 
ings, made  by  Moroni,  that  we  have  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  under  the  title  of  the  Book  of  Ether. 
Ether  was  of  the  roj^al  race,  his  father  being  Cori- 
antor,  one  of  those  unfortunate  monarchs  who 
lived  in  captivity  all  his  days.  In  the  reign  of 
Coriantumr,  the  last  king  of  the  Jaredites,  Ether 
came  forth  and  proclaimed  the  near  destru6lion  of 


Ether.  118  Ezias. 

the  entire  people,  a  prophecy  which  many  of  his 
predecessors  had  also  uttered ;  but  he  also  prom- 
ised that  the  king  should  survive  all  his  subjedls, 
and  live  to  see  another  race  occupy  the  land. 
Great  and  marvelous  were  the  prophecies  of  Ether. 
He  saw  the  days  of  Christ,  and  the  great  work  of 
the  last  dispensation,  even  to  the  coming  of  the 
New  Jerusalem.  Indeed,  he  appears  to  have  had 
revealed  to  him  a  complete  history  of  the  deal- 
ings of  the  Lord  with  the  inhabitants  of  this 
earth,  from  his  own  day  to  the  end  of  time.  But 
the  people  heeded  not  his  words,  and  ultimately 
grew  weary  of  his  threatenings  and  drove  him 
from  their  midst.  He  hid  himself  in  a  cavity  of  a 
rock,  coming  forth  in  the  night  time  to  view  the 
course  of  events,  and  occasionally  appearing  and 
repeating  his  warnings.  While  thus  hidden,  he 
wrote  the  history  of  contemporaneous  events, 
and,  year  by  year,  watched  the  fulfilment  of  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  as  the  people  gradually  de- 
stroyed each  other  in  unrelenting  warfare.  He 
lived  to  record  the  utter  destrudlion  of  his  people 
at  Ram  ah,  (Cumorah,)  with  the  sole  exception  of 
Coriantumr,  who  survived  as  a  witness  to  the 
unfailing  word  of  God.  We  are  not  told  whether 
Ether  died  or  was  translated.  We  incline,  from 
his  own  words  (Ether,  15:  33),  to  the  latter  opin- 
ion. When  he  had  finished  his  record,  he  hid  the 
twenty-four  golden  plates  on  which  it  was  en- 
graven, in  the  place  in  which  they  were  afterwards 
found  by  the  people  of  king  Limhi,  (B.  C.  123). 

EVE.  The  mother  of  all  living.  Her  name  is 
mentioned  three  times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
(I  Nephi,  5:11;  H  Nephi,  2:  18,  19),  in  connedlion 
with  the  Creation  and  Fall. 

EZIAS.  An  ancient  Hebrew  prophet,  referred  A 
to  by  Nephi.  Elder  Orson  Pratt  suggests  in  a  foot- ) 
note  that  ''Ezias  may  have  been  identical  withs 
Esaias,  who  lived  cotemporary  with  Abraham./ 
See  Doc.  and  Cov.  84:  11—13.  / 


Flowers.  119  Gadianton. 

FLOWERS.  The  only  flowers  mentioned  by 
name  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  are  lilies. 

FRUIT.  The  fruits  mentioned  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  are  grapes  and  olives. 

GAD.  A  city  burned  with  its  inhabitants,  at 
the  time  of  the  great  convulsions  that  attended 
the  crucifixion  of  the  Savior.  These  people  were 
extremeU^  wicked,  casting  out  and  stoning  and 
slaying  the  prophets  who  reproved  them  for 
their  abominations.  Indeed,  there  were  none 
righteous  left  among  them,  so  the  Lord  sent 
down  fire  from  heaven  and  destroyed  them,  that 
their  crimes  might  be  hid  from  His  face ;  and  that 
the  blood  of  the  saints  might  no  longer  cr^'  to 
Him  from  the  ground  against  them.  Gad  is  no- 
where mentioned  except  in  connecftion  with  its 
destruaion,  (HI  Nephi,  9:  10,  11). 

GADIANDI.  A  city  which,  with  all  its  vile 
inhabitants,  who  had  persecuted  and  slain  the 
prophets  and  people  of  God,  was  sunken  deep  in 
the  earth  at  the  time  of  the  Messiah's  crucifixion, 
and  the  surface  of  the  land  so  changed  that  val- 
leys and  hills  took  its  place.  This  calamity  be- 
fell them,  to  use  the  words  of  the  Savior  "to hide 
their  wickedness  and  abominations  from  before  my 
face,  that  the  blood  of  the  prophets  and  the  saints 
should  not  come  up  any  more  unto  me  against 
them."  (  HI  Nephi,  9:  8. )  This  is  the  only  mention 
that  is  made  of  Gadiandi  in  the  Book  of  Mormon; 
and  consequently  nothing  is  known  of  its  situa- 
tion. 

GADIANTON.  A  Nephite  apostate;  the 
founder  and  first  leader  of  the  robber  bands  that 
bore  his  name.  He  is  first  mentioned  in  connedlion 
with  the  attempt  by  Kishkumen  to  kill  Helamaiij 
the  Chief  Judge,  (B.  C.  50) .  At  that  time,  Gadian- 
ton had  organized  his  band,  and  bound  its  mem- 
bers together  by  the  most  horrible  and  blasphem- 
ous oaths  and  covenants,  to  stand  by  and  pro- 
tedl  each  other  in  all  their  treasons,  villainies  and 


Gadianton.  120    Gadianton  Robbers. 

crimes.  These  oaths  and  secret  compadls  had  not 
been  searched  out  of  the  old  records  by  Gadianton, 
but  that  same  being  who  had  revealed  them  to  Cain,  i 

thefirstmurderer,had  whispered  them  to  him.  Gadi-  i      A 
anton  was  a  crafty,  capable  man,  full  of  strategy  *  r'\. 
and  cunning ;  a  flatterer,  and  expert  in  the  use  of ;  aJI^ 
many  words ;  and  at  this  time  he  desired  to  be  *  '^ 
elecfted  chief  judge  of  the  Nephite  commonwealth.  X 
To  this  ambition  his  followers  gave  full  consent,  ' 
as    he    promised  them    that,   when  eledled,  they 
should  fill  the  offices  of  honor  and  profit    at  his 
disposal.    It  was  decided  in  their  secret  meetings 
that  Helaman  should  be  slain  to  make  way  for 
Gadianton,  and Kishkumerif  one  of  his  lieutenants, 
was  chosen  to  do  the  murderous  work.    He  made 
the  attempt,  but  failed ;  Kishkumen  himself  being 
slain.     Finding    their  envoy  did  not  return,   and 
learning  that  the  officers  of  the  law  were  search- 
ing for  them,  the  band,  under  Gadianton's  direc- 
tion, fled  into  the  hills  and  the  wilderness,  which 
became  their  places  of    retreat  ever    afterwards 
when  they  were  threatened  by  the  more  righteous 
part  of  the  community — Nephite  orLamanite.  (See 
Gadianton  Robbers.)      Of    Gadianton's  personal 
life  we  have  no  further  record. 

GADIANTON  ROBBERS.  Of  all  the  fac- 
tions that  separated  themselves  from  the  Nephites, 
none  worked  so  much  injury  to  the  people  as 
did  the  bands  of  the  Gadianton  robbers.  The 
very  facft  of  their  organization  shows  the  deplor- 
able condition  of  Nephite  society ;  while  their  con- 
tinuance and  growth  proclaims  yet  more  loudly 
and  emphatically  how  debased  the  community 
had  become. 

The  Gadiantons  were  at  first  (B.  C.  52),  ap- 
parently, a  band  of  robbers  and  murderers,  bound 
^together  by  the  most  horrible  oaths  of  secresy 
and  Satanic  covenants,  to  aid  and  shield  each  other 
in  whatever  sins  and  iniquities  they  might  com- 
mit. 


121  Gadianton  Robbers. 

These  covenants  did  not  originate  with  Gadi- 
anton or  anj^  of  his  crew.  They  were  as  old  as 
the  days  of  Cain,  into  whose  ear  the  Son  of  Per- 
dition whispered  these  bloodthirsty  and  infernal 
suggestions.  These  same  secret  societies  flour- 
ished among  the  Antediluvians,  and  had  place 
with  the  Jaredites  and  other  peoples  of  antiquity. 
In  the  end  they  invariably  wrought  ruin  and  des- 
trudlion  wherever  they  found  a  foothold.  To 
their  abominations  can  be  traced  the  fall  and  ex- 
tinction of  both  the  Jaredite  and  Nephite  races. 

As  time  went  on,  the  Gadiantons  among  the 
Nephites  aspired  to  rule  the  republic.  When,  by 
their  combinations,  they  could  not  carry  their 
point  at  the  eledlions,  the^'  would  murder,  or 
attempt  to  murder,  any  judge  or  other  oflicer  who 
was  distasteful  to  them,  and  place  a  more  ac- 
ceptable man  in  his  seat.  So  fell  more  than  one 
of  the  Nephite  chief  judges.  But  they  frequently 
had  no  need  to  do  this,  for  as  the  people  increased 
in  iniquity  they  could  easily  carry  the  majority 
or  the  voice  of  the  people  with  them.  In  this  way 
several  of  their  numbers  were  elecfted  to  the  chief 
judgeship. 

After  the  time  of  the  conversion  of  the 
Lamanites  by  Lehi  and  Nephi  (B.C.  30),  the 
Gadianton  robbers  took  their  place  in  the  history 
of  ancient  America.  The  divisions  then  became 
the  righteous  Nephites  and  Lamanites  on  one  side, 
and  the  Gadiantons  on  the  other.  And,  strange 
as  it  may  appear,  these  robber  bands  received 
greater  encouragement  and  attained  to  greater 
power  among  the  Nephites  than  among  the 
Lamanites;  but  the  fadl  is,  that  in  that  era  the 
Lamanites  were  a  growing  race,  while  the  Nephites 
were  a  decaying  one.  Many  wars  ensued  between 
these  two  divisions,  ending  sometimes  in  the  tem- 
porary suppression  of  the  robbers,  as  in  the  year 
B.  C.  17.  But  they  soon  reappeared,  as  they  did 
five  years  after  the  instance  here  mentioned  (B.C. 


Gadiomnah.  122  Galilee. 

12).  The  most  momentous  of  all  these  wars  was 
the  one  that  was  waged  during  the  earthly  life  of 
our  Savior.  It  virtually  commenced  in  the  second 
year  of  His  mortal  existence,  and  continued  with 
slight  intermissions  until  the  twenty-first.  So 
powerful  and  arrogant,  had  the  robbers  grown  in 
that  age  that  Giddianhi,  their  leader,  in  A.  C.  16, 
wrote  an  epistle  to  Lachoneus  the  chief  judge, 
calling  upon  the  Nephites  to  submit  themselves  to 
the  robbers  and  their  ways ;  to  accept  their  oaths 
and  covenants ;  and  in  all  things  become  like  unto 
them.  The  presumption  of  the  robber  chief  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  without  foundation,  for 
so  desperate  had  the  condition  of  the  people  be- 
come that  Lachoneus  devised  and  carried  out  the 
stupendous  movement  of  gathering  them  all,  both 
Nephites  and  Lamanites,  to  one  land,  where  they 
would  be  safe  by  consolidation,  and  be  able  to 
wear  out  the  robbers  by  masterl3'  inadlivity.  In 
this  he  succeeded,  and  the  robber  bands  were 
destroyed  by  privation,  famine,  and  the  sword. 

After  the  days  of  Jesus,  the  Gadiantons  again 
appeared,  when  iniquity  began  to  prevail;  and  by 
the  year  A.  C,  300  they  had  spread  over  all  the 
land.  To  their  baneful  influence  may  be  attrib- 
uted many  of  the  atrocities  and  abominations 
that  disgraced  the  last  wars  between  the  Nephites 
and  Lamanites. 

GADIOMNAH.  A  wicked  city,  sunk  in  the 
earth  in  the  dire  convulsions  that  occurred  on  this 
continent  at  the  time  the  Redeemer  was  crucified. 
In  its  place  hills  and  valleys  appeared,  while  deep 
in  the  bosom  of  the  earth  were  buried  its  iniquit- 
ous inhabitants,  that  they  might  be  hidden  from 
the  sight  of  Heaven,  and  that  the  blood  of  the 
prophets  and  saints  whom  they  had  slain  might  no 
more  come  up  before  the  Lord  (III  Nephi,  9:8). 
This  city  is  only  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon in  conne6lion  with  its  destrucftion. 

GALILEE.    The  northern  division  of  Pales- 


Gallim.  123  Gid. 

tine;  mentioned  only  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  a/ 
quotation  from  Isaiah  (TI  Nephi,  19:  1). 

GrALLIM.    A  place  mentioned  twice  in  the 
Bible  and  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  latter    ^ 
in  a  quotation  from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  (II 
Nephi,  20:  30).    Its  situation  is  unknown. 

GAZELEM.  The  name  given  to  a  servant  of 
God,  (Alma,  37:  23).  The  word  Gazelem  appears 
to  have  its  roots  in  Gaz — a  stone,  and  Aleim,  a 
name  of  God  as  a  revelator  or  interposer  in  the 
affairs  of  men.  If  this  suggestion  be  correal,  its 
roots  admirably  agree  with  its  apparent  mean- 
ing—  a  seer.  The  text  reads:  And  the  Lord  said, 
I  will  prepare  unto  my  servant  Gazelem,  a  stone, 
which  shall  shine  forth  in  darkness  unto  light, 
that  I  may  discover  unto  my  people  who  serve  me, 
that  I  may  discover  unto  them  the  works  of  their 
brethren :  yea,  their  secret  works,  their  works  of 
darkness,  and  their  wickedness  and  abominations. 

GrEBA.    A  city  of  Palestine,  in   the  district 
apportioned  to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.    It  is  only 
mentioned  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (II  Nephi, 
20:  29),  in  a  quotation  from   the  prophecies  of -^ 
Isaiah. 

GEBIM.     A    village   in    Palestine,  north  of 
Jerusalem.    It  is  mentioned  but  once  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon  (II  Nephi,  20:  31), in  a  quotation  from     ^ 
Is?3iah 

GIBE  AH.    The  early  home  of  Saul,  king  of 
Israel.    It  was  situated  within  the  limits   of  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin,  and  not  far  from  Jerusalem.     It 
is  mentioned  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon   (II    l 
Nephi,  20:  29), in  a  quotation  from  Isaiah. 

GID.  During  the  campaign  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  in  the  year  B.  C.  63,  Helaman,  the  son  of 
Alma,  commanded  the  armies  of  the  Nephites, 
and  king  Ammoron  those  of  the  Lamanites.  After 
the  recapture  of  the  city  of  Cumeni,  the  number 
of  prisoners  of  war  in  the  hands  of  the  Nephites 
was  so  great,  and  so  given  were  they  to  break 


Grid.  124 

out,  assault  their  guards  and  attempt  to  escape, 
that  their  disposal  became  a  matter  of  serious 
consideration  with  the  Nephite  commanders.  It 
was  finally  decided  to  send  a  large  number  of  them 
to  Zarahemla,  under  a  strong  escort,  commanded 
by  an  officer  named  Gid. 

On  the  second  day  of  their  march,  the  Nephite 
scouts  brought  word  to  Gid  that  a  large  Lam anite 
force  was  approaching,  on  their  way  to  relieve 
Cumeni.  The  Lamanite  prisoners  heard  of  the 
proximity  of  their  fellow  countrj^men,  and  in  the 
hope  which  it  inspired,  they  took  courage  and 
determined  to  make  a  desperate  effort  for  liberty. 
They  made  a  united  break,  rushing  upon  their 
guards  and  endeavoring  by  the  greatness  of  their 
numbers  to  overthrow  them.  The  attempt  proved 
very  disastrous,  for  most  of  the  prisoners  were 
slain,  while  a  few  managed  to  escape  to  the 
armies  of  their  countrymen.  The  prisoners 
having  all  escaped  or  been  killed,  there  was  no 
further  reason  for  Gid  and  his  company  to  con- 
tinue their  march  to  the  Nephite  capital,  they 
therefore  retraced  their  steps  to  the  main  body  of 
the  army. 

Their  return  was  most  fortunate.  For  in  their 
absence  the  Lamanites  had  been  greatly  strength- 
ened, most  probably  by  the  same  force  that  passed 
by  near  to  the  place  where  the  prisoners  held  by 
Gid  had  revolted.  Emboldened  by  this  reinforce- 
ment, the  Lamanite  commander  made  a  sudden 
and  furious  attack  upon  Helaman,  which  he  was 
illy  prepared  to  resist.  A  portion  of  his  troops  were 
already  wavering,  when  Gid  appeared.  His 
arrival  changed  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  the 
Nephites  were  vidlorious,  they  continued  to  hold 
possession  of  Cumeni,  but  their  loss  was  very 
great.  This  is  one  of  the  battles  in  which  Hela- 
man's  youthful  Ammonite  warriors  made  them- 
selves conspicuous  by  their  unfaltering  faith  and 
unflinching  courage. 


125  Gid. 

Later  in  the  year,  Gid  commanded  a  small 
division  of  the  Nephite  army  in  the  battle  in  which 
the  city  of  Manti  was  recaptured.  Helaman,  be- 
ing anxious  to  obtain  possession  of  this  city,  sat 
down  before  it  with  his  army,  which  was  but  a 
small  one.  The  Lamanites,  fearing  the  presence  of 
this  force  would  cut  off  their  line  of  communica- 
tion, attempted  to  drive  them  av^ay,  and  so  confi- 
dent were  they,  that  they  did  not  take  proper  pre- 
cautions to  preserve  the  city.  The  main  body  of 
Helaman's  army  retreated  before  their  rapid  ad- 
vance, while  two  small  divisions,  commanded  by 
Gid  and  Teorner,  secreted  themselves  in  the  ad- 
joining wilderness;  and  w^hen  the  impetuous  La- 
manite  commander  had  led  his  troops  the  necessary 
distance,  they  surprised  the  city,  overpowered  the 
guards,  and  obtained  permanent  possession  at  a 
small  cost  of  life.  Gid  is  no  more  mentioned 
after  this  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

GID.  A  Nephite  city,  situated  on  the  east 
borders  by  the  seashore,  that  is,  on  the  Atlantic 
coast ;  apparently  not  far  from  the  cities  of  Mulek 
and  Bountiful.  In  Amalickiah^s  great  raid,  in  B. 
C.  67,  through  the  eastern  portions  of  the  Nephite 
possessions,  he  captured,  garrisoned,  and  fortified 
Gid.  He  also  made  it  the  depot  for  the  detention 
of  the  Nephite  prisoners  of  war.  In  B.  C.  63, 
Moroni,  by  stratagem,  placed  arms  in  the  hands 
of  these  prisoners,  women  and  larger  children,  as 
well  as  men,  and  they,  in  connedlion  with  the 
Nephite  forces  without,  overpowered  the  Laman- 
ites, and  took  possession  of  the  city.  The  Laman- 
ite  prisoners  were  used  by  Moroni  in  increasing 
the  strength  of  the  fortifications  at  Gid,  which 
being  done,  they  were  removed,  for  like  service,  to 
the  city  of  Bountiful.  The  only  other  time  that 
Gid  is  mentioned  is  in  connection  with  the  mis- 
sionary labors  of  Nephi  and  Lehi,  the  sons  of 
Helaman.  They  first  ministered  in  Bountiful, 
and  from  there  proceeded  to  Gid,  (B.  C.  31). 


Giddonah.  126  Giddianhi. 

GIDDONAH.  A  Nepbite  of  the  first  and 
second  centur\'  B.  C.  He  was  tlie  son  of  Ishmael 
and  the  father  of  the  prophet  Amulek.  Nothing 
more  than  this  is  known  of  him,  unless  he  was  the 
Giddonah,  who  was  the  High  Priest  in  the  land  of 
Gideon,  which  is  not  improbable. 

GIDDONAH.  The  presiding  High  Priest  of 
the  Nephite  Church  in  the  Land  of  Gideon  (B.  C. 
75),  The  only  time  that  his  name  is  mentioned  is 
on  the  occasion  when  Korihor,  the  notorious  anti- 
Christ,  was  brought  before  him  and  the  Chief 
Judge  in  that  land.  On  this  occasion  Giddonah 
appears  to  have  adled  with  great  wisdom  and 
prudence.  Finding  that  Korihor  would  revile 
against  God,  the  atonement,  the  coming  of  Christ, 
the  adls  of  the  priesthood,  etc.,  and  in  the  hard- 
ness of  his  heart  would  lie,  traduce,  and  blaspheme 
in  a  breath,  Giddonah  refused  to  be  drawn  into  a 
controversy,  and  simply  heard  Korihor's  outrag- 
eous plea  in  silence,  as  did  also  the  Chief  Justice. 
Then,  considering  the  matter  was  one  that  should 
be  submitied  to  the  highest  officers  in  the  whole 
land,  they  delivered  the  impostor  into  the  hands 
of  the  proper  officers,  with  instrudlions  to  conve\" 
him  to  the  city  of  Zarahemla,  and  bring  him  before 
the  presiding  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authorities, 
which  was  done.  It  is  not  improbable  that  he 
was  the  father  of  the  Prophet  Amulek  (Alma,  10 : 

2). 

GIDDIANHI.  A  Gadianton  robber  chief  and 
general,  who  lived  contemporaneously  with  the 
Savior.  He  was  a  leader  of  great  boldness  and 
ability,  and  in  his  days  the  robbers  gained  many 
advantages  over  the  Nephites.  So  much  so,  that 
the  existence  of  the  Nephite  race  was  imperiled. 
In  A.  C.  16,  Giddianhi  had  the  effrontery  to  write 
to  LachoneiJS,  the  chief  governor  of  the  Nephites, 
threatening  to  utterly  destroy  the  people  if  they 
did  not  surrender  to  the  robbers,  accept  their 
secret  oaths  and  become  like  them  in  all  things. 


127  Giddianhi. 

This  epistle,  which  gives  an  interesting  insight 
into  the  condition  of  the  times,  is  found  in  III 
Nephi,  chapter  4.  Lachoneus  did  not  hearken  to 
the  epistle  of  Giddianhi,  but  perceiving  the  desper- 
ate straits  in  which  his  people  were  placed,  issued 
a  proclamation  directing  them  to  leave  their 
various  homes  throughout  the  two  continents, 
and  all  gather  in  one  vast  host,  in  a  place  sele(5led 
in  the  lands  of  Zarahemla  and  Bountiful,  bringing 
with  them  everything  that  would  help  to  sustain 
the  besieging  forces  of  the  robbers.  The  people 
obeyed,  and  in  the  trust  of  the  Lord  awaited  the 
coming  of  the  foe.  In  the  latter  end  of  A.  C.  18, 
the  armies  of  the  robbers  were  prepared  for  the 
war,  and  they  began  to  sally  forth  from  the 
wilderness  and  the  mountains,  and  from  their 
other  strongholds,  and  to  occupy  and  revel  in  the 
deserted  homes  and  lands  of  the  Nephites.  But 
difficulties  soon  stared  them  in  the  face,  the  great- 
est of  which  was  the  want  of  food.  As  the  Neph- 
ites had  removed  everything  edible,  the  robbers' 
onl3'  source  of  supply  was  the  game  in  the  wilder- 
ness, which  soon  proved  insufficient.  Thus  pressed, 
in  the  year  A.  C.  19,  Giddianhi  gave  command  to 
his  armies  to  attack  the  Nephites.  It  was  in  the 
sixth  month  of  the  year  (September,  we  presume), 
that  this  command  was  carried  out.  Terrible,  we 
are  told,  was  the  appearance  of  the  robber  hosts. 
They  wore  a  lamb  skin,  dyed  in  blood,  about  their 
loins;  their  heads  were  shaven,  but  covered  with 
armor — head-plates,  as  they  are  called.  When  the 
Nephites  perceived  them  coming  they  bowed  before 
the  Lord  in  prayer.  The  robbers,  seeing  their 
action,  counted  it  as  a  sign  of  fear,  and  set  up  a 
horrible  shout  and  rushed  upon  them.  The 
slaughter  was  terrible;  never  had  there  been  so 
much  blood  shed  in  a  single  fight  since  the  day 
that  Lehi's  children  first  inhabited  the  land.  At 
last  the  Nephites  were  vidlorious,  and  pursued  their 
foes  to  the  borders  of  the  wilderness,  giving  no 


Gideon.  128 

quarter.  Giddianhi  himself  fought  with  great 
courage,  but  being  weary  through  his  exertions, 
was  overtaken  in  the  retreat  and  slain.  Zemnnr- 
ihah  succeeded  him  as  commander  of  the  robbers. 

GIDEON.  A  Nephite  patriot,  slain  by  Nehor 
in  B.  C.  91.  Gideon  was  evidently  born  in  the 
land  of  Lehi-Nephi,  and  in  the  rebellion  that 
occurred  in  that  land  against  the  iniquitous  king 
NoHh,  Gideon,  being  a  strong  and  zealous  man, 
took  a  leading  part.  We  judge  from  the  course 
he  then  pursued,  and  the  whole  tenor  of  his  after 
life,  that  he  had  no  hand  in  the  martyrdom  of 
Abinadi,  or  in  Noah's  other  crimes.  When  the 
minority  of  the  people  revolted,  Gideon,  being 
exceedingly  angry,  drew  his  sword  and  sought  to 
kill  the  king.  Noah,  realizing  he  was  about  to  be 
overpowered,  fled  to  the  tower  near  the  temple. 
Thither  Gideon  quickly  followed.  The  king 
mounted  to  the  top,  and  there  his  eye  accidentally 
caught  sight  of  an  army  of  Lamanites  in  the  land 
of  Shemlon.  In  the  terror  caused  by  this  un- 
expecfted  sight,  he  appealed  to  Gideon's  patriotism 
and  besought  him  to  spare  him.  Gideon  con- 
sented, and  Noah,  in  mortal  terror,  ordered  his 
people  to  flee  into  the  wilderness  from  before  the 
advancing  hosts  of  the  Lamanites. 

The  people  obeyed  their  king's  command,  and 
with  their  wives  and  children  fled  into  the  wilder- 
ness. But  the  forces  of  the  Lamanites,  unencum- 
bered with  women  and  children,  soon  overtook 
them.  Then  the  coward  kingcommanded  the  men 
to  continue  their  flight  and  leave  their  wives  and 
children  to  the  mercy  of  the  enemy.  Some  obeyed 
and  fled,  others  would  not,  but  preferred  to  stay 
and  perish  with  those  of  whom  they  were  the 
natural  protestors.  Gideon  was  among  the  latter. 
Those  who  stayed,  in  their  terror,  when  the  La- 
manites drew  near,  sent  their  fair  daughters  to 
plead  with  their  enemies  for  their  lives.  This  adl 
saved  them.     For  the  dark  warriors  of  Laman 


129  Gideon. 

were  so  charmed  with  the  beauty  of  the  women 
that  they  spared  all  their  lives.  Yet  they  took 
them  captives,  carried  them  back  to  Lehi-Nephi, 
and  gave  them  permission  to  retain  that  land,  but 
under  the  conditions  that  they  should  surrender 
king  Noah,  and  deliver  up  one-half  of  everything 
they  possessed,  and  continue  this  tribute  of  one- 
half  of  their  property  year  by  year. 

Gideon  now  sent  men  to  search  for  Noah,  that 
he  might  be  delivered  up  to  the  Lamanites.  They 
found  that  the  men  who  were  with  Noah,  being 
ashamed  of  their  cowardly  flight,  swore  that  they 
would  return;  and  if  their  wives  and  children, 
and  the  men  who  remained  with  them,  had  been 
killed,  they  would  have  revenge.  The  king  com- 
manded that  they  should  not  return,  at  which 
they  became  very  angry  with  him,  and  burned  him 
to  death,  as  he  had  done  Abinadi.  When  the  men 
who  put  Noah  to  death  were  about  to  return  to 
the  land  of  Nephi,  they  met  Gideon  and  his  party, 
and  informed  him  of  the  end  of  Noah  and  the 
escape  of  the  priests;  and  when  they  heard  the 
news  that  Gideon  brought,  they  also  rejoiced  much 
that  their  wives  and  children  had  been  spared  by 
the  Lamanites. 

Noah  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Limhi.  Gideon 
appears  in  his  day  to  have  been  an  oflicer  of  high 
standing  in  the  Nephite  forces,  and  a  man  of  much 
w^isdom  and  intelligence.  In  the  war  that  resulted 
from  the  seizure  of  a  number  of  Lamanite  maidens 
b}^  the  priests  of  Noah,  Gideon  took  a  prominent 
part  in  bringing  about  a  cessation  of  hostilities. 
It  was  he  who  suggested  w^ho  the  men  really  were 
that  committed  this  vile  act.  (See  Amnion.)  In 
later  years,  when  the  people  of  Limhi  escaped  from 
the  Lamanites,  and  returned  to  Zarahemla  under 
the  guidance  of  Ammon,  Gideon  took  a  leading 
part,  by  his  advice  and  example,  in  effedling  their 
deliverance,  and  direcfting  that  march.  We  next 
read  of  Gideon  when  he  had  become  exceedingly 


Gideon,  City  of.  130 

old.  He  was  still  aAivcly  engaged  in  the  service 
of  the  Lord.  He  was  a  teacher  in  the  Church,  yet 
we  cannot  help  thinking  that,  like  many  in  these 
days,  though  adling  as  a  teacher,  he  held  a  higher 
priesthood.  One  day  he  met,  in  the  streets  of  the 
city  of  Zarahemla,  an  apostate  named  Nehor,  who 
had  grown  very  popular,  and,  with  his  popularity, 
very  conceited,  headstrong,  and  ambitious  :  he 
having  built  up  a  church  composed  of  persons 
who  accepted  his  pernicious  dodlrines.  On  this 
occasion  Gideon  plead  with  him  to  desist  from  his 
evil  ways,  and  strongly  remonstrated  against  the 
course  he  was  taking.  Nehor,  ill-used  to  such 
opposition,  drew  his  sword  and  slew  the  aged 
teacher.  For  this  crime  he  was  arrested,  tried, 
convidled  and  executed.  (B.  C.  91.)  Gideon's 
memory  was  held  in  great  respedl  among  the 
Nephites,  and  one  of  their  most  important  cities 
was  named  after  him. 

GIDEON,  CITY  OF.  An  important  city  of 
the  Nephites,  situated  in  a  valley  of  the  same  name 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  Sidon,  and  not  far 
from  the  city  of  Zarahemla.  (See  land  of  Gideon.) 
It  was  named  in  memory  of  the  aged  patriarch, 
slain  by  Nehor.  In  B.  C.  82,  Alma,  the  High  Priest, 
made  this  city  a  missionary  visit,  and  set  the 
Church  therein  in  order,  after  which  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  Zarahemla.  In  B.  C.  75,  Korihor,  the 
anti-Christ,  visited  Gideon,  and  for  a  short  time 
taught  his  pernicious  dodlrines,  but  he  was  taken 
before  the  High  Priest  and  Chief  Judge  of  that 
land,  examined,  and  sent  over  to  Zarahemla,  to 
be  judged  by  Alma,  the  Chief  Judge  of  all  the 
Nephite  lands.  In  B.  C.  62,  the  king-men,  under 
Pachus,  drove  Pahoran,  the  Chief  Judge,  out  of 
Zarahemla,  who  established  himself  in  Gideon, 
and  issued  a  proclamation  calling  the  people  of 
the  surrounding  regions  to  arms.  The  patriots 
assembled  at  Gideon,  where  they  were,  ere  long, 
joined    by    Moroni,    the    Nephite    commander-in- 


131  Gideon,  Land  of. 

chief,  with  a  large  force  of  volunteers,  which  he 
had  gathered  on  his  march  from  Bountiful.  The 
united  forces  gave  battle  to  Pachus,  recaptured 
Zarahemla,  and  replaced  Pahoran  on  the  judgment 
seat. 

In  B,  C.  6,  Samuel,  the  Lamanite,  pronounced 
a  woe  against  the  city  of  Gideon  for  the  wicked- 
ness and  abominations  that  were  in  her(Helaman 
13:  15),  but  we  have  no  account  of  the  manner  of 
her  destrudlion  at  the  time  of  the  crucifixion  of 
the  Redeemer. 

GIDEON,  LAND  OF.  In  a  valley  on  the 
east  of  theSidon  was  built,  duringtheearlydaj^s of 
the  republic,  an  important  city,  which  was  named 
after  the  martyr  Gideon.  The  valley  itself  was 
also  known  by  the  same  name,  and  is  frequently 
called  the  land  of  Gideon,  for  we  find  no  evidence 
to  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  land  extended 
beyond  the  valle3'.  Nearly  all  that  we  know  of 
this  region  is  contained  in  a  single  passage  (Alma 
7:  7),  which  states  that  Alma  left  Zarahemla  and 
went  over  upon  the  east  of  the  river  Sidon,  into 
the  valley  of  Gideon,  there  having  been  a  city 
built  which  was  called  the  city  of  Gideon,  which 
was  in  the  valley  that  was  called  Gideon,  being 
called  after  the  man  who  was  slain  by  the  hand 
of  Nehor  with  the  sword. 

From  the  references  in  the  historical  narrative 
we  incline  to  the  opinion  that  this  valley  lay 
either  dire(5lly  east,  or  somewhat  to  the  south  of 
the  city  of  Zarahemla.  Travelers  coming  from  the 
north  are  never  mentioned  as  passing  through  it 
on  their  way  to  Zarahemla,  unless  they  had  a  pur- 
pose in  so  doing,  as  in  the  case  where  Moroni 
marched  from  the  northeast  to  the  relief  of  Chief 
Judge  Pahoran  (Alma,  62).  In  the  same  chapter 
it  is  stated  that  Moroni  and  Pahoran  "went 
down"  from  Gideon  to  Zarahemla,  which,  follow- 
ing the  course  of  the  Sidon,  would  be  northward. 

After  the  battle    with    the  Amlicites,  in    the 


Gideon,  Valley  of.     132  Gidgiddoni. 

fifth  3'ear  of  the  judges,  the  Nephites,  under 
Alma,  pursued  them  until  they  reached  the  valley 
of  Gideon,  and  there  the  Nephites  pitched  their 
tents.  Learning  of  the  approach  of  an  army  of 
Lamanites,  Alma  moved  his  troops  towards 
Zarahemla,  in  order  to  protedl  the  capital  city. 

OIDEON,  VALLEY  OF.  See  land  of 
Gideon . 

GIDGIDDONAH.  A  Nephite  general,  who 
commanded  a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the 
last  great  struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  the 
Lamanites.  He,  with  all  his  command,  was  slain 
in  the  final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumo- 
rah  (A.  C.  385),  when  the  Nephite  nation  was 
annihilated. 

GIDGIDDONI.  A  prophet-general  of  the 
Nephites,  of  the  time  of  Christ ;  he  was  command- 
er-in-chief of  the  armies  of  the  commonwealth,  in 
the  days  when  Lachoneus,  the  elder,  was  chief 
judge  and  governor,  and  appears  to  a  certain 
extent  to  have  shared  with  that  illustrious  man 
the  powers  of  the  government.  Besides  being  one 
of  the  ablest  military  commanders  that  ever  led 
the  Nephites  to  vi(?tory,  he  was  also  a  great 
prophet,  and  his  inspired  teachings,  wise  counsels 
and  timely  reproofs  were  as  valuable  in  preserv- 
ing that  people  from  destruc?hion  as  was  his  skill, 
strategy,  resolution  and  courage  as  a  general. 
Gidgiddoni  was  chosen  commander  of  the  Nephite 
forces  the  same  year  that  Lachoneus  decided,  be- 
cause of  the  imperiled  condition  of  the  Nephites 
from  the  ever-recurring  attacks  of  the  robbers,  to 
gather  all  the  people  in  one  region  (A.  C.  16).  In 
this  gigantic,  almost  unparalleled  labor,  Lachon- 
eus was  zealously  supported  by  Gidgiddoni,  under 
whose  direcftion  the  assembled  hosts  fortified  their 
land  of  refuge.  It  was  not  until  the  next  >ear 
that  all  the  people  had  assembled  together,  for  it 
proved  a  slow  and  tedious  work  to  bring  millions 
of  people,  many  for  thousands  of  miles,  with  all 


133  Gidgiddoni. 

their  moYable  substance,  and  with  a  supply  of 
seven  years'  provisions.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
following  year  (A.  C.  18),  the  robbers  sallied  out 
of  their  hiding  places  in  the  deserts  and  mountains 
and  occupied  the  cities  and  lands  temporarily 
deserted  by  the  citizens.  But  they  found  no  means 
of  subsistence  there,  and  game  soon  grew  scarce 
in  the  wilderness.  Acfhive  warfare  was  their  only 
resort,  so  Giddianhi,  their  leader,  determined,  if 
possible,  to  force  his  way  into  the  country  held  by 
the  Nephites.  A  desperate  battle  followed, 
Gidgiddoni  acting  on  the  defensive ;  the  slaughter 
was  more  terrible  than  in  any  previous  battle  be- 
tween the  descendants  of  Lehi.  Ultimately  Gid- 
dianhi  was  slain,  the  robbers  repulsed  and  pursued 
to  the  borders  of  the  wilderness.  (A.  C.  19.) 
The  robbers  made  no  further  attack  the  next  year, 
but  having  chosen  one  Zemnarihah  as  their  chief, 
in  A.  C.  21,  he  so  disposed  of  his  bands  as  to 
surround  the  Nephites.  His  attempt  was  ineflfec- 
tual.  The  region  occupied  by  the  Nephites  was  far 
too  extended  to  admit  of  a  siege  being  successful  ; 
The  robbers  also  were  short  of  food.  Gidgiddoni 
perceived  that  this  was  his  opportunity,  time  and 
again  he  made  successful  sorties,  slaying  tens  of 
thousands  of  the  enem3^  and  harassing  by  con- 
tinual movements  those  who  remained.  At  last, 
the  robbers  determined  to  flee  to  the  north  and 
there  concentrate  in  one  region.  Gidgiddoni,  learn- 
ing of  their  intentions,  and  knowing  their  feeble 
bodily  condition  through  lack  of  food,  determined 
to  intercept  them.  This  he  successfully  accom- 
plished, thousands  of  the  marauders  were  slain. 
Among  the  prisoners  v^as  Zemnarihah ,  w^ho  w^as 
afterwards  hanged.  The  people  continued  in  their 
gathered  condition  in  Zarahemla  and  Bountiful 
until  A.  C.  26.  Then,  taking  with  them  the  pro- 
visions they  had  not  consumed,  and  their  gold,  sil- 
ver and  precious  things,  they  returned  to  their  old 
homes.    A  short  period  of  prosperity  followed,  the 


Gileah.  134  Gilgah. 

great  roads  were  repaired,  old  cities  were  rebuilt 
and  new  ones  founded,  and  many  other  improve- 
ments made  for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  in  all  of 
which  Gidgiddoni  and  Lachoneus  were  the  leaders. 
His  conne&on  with  these  labors  (A.  C.  28),  is  the 
last  reference  made  toGidgiddoni  in  theBook  of  Mor- 
mon. The  soldiers  of  Gidgiddoni  succeeded  in  tak- 
ing as  prisoners  all  the  robbers  that  w^ere not  killed. 
The  word  of  God  was  preached  to  them,  and  those 
who  repented  of  their  sins,  and  covenanted  to 
cease  their  evil  pradlices,  were  sec  at  liberty.  The 
remainder  were  condemned  for  their  crimes  and 
punished  according  to  law.  This  entirely  broke 
up  these  bands  of  murderers  and  robbers,  and 
peace  and  righteousness  again  pre  vailed . 

GILEAD.  A  Jaredite  military  commander 
who  contended  with  Coriantumr  for  the  throne. 
He  succeeded  his  brother  Shared  in  the  command 
of  the  armies  opposed  to  Coriantumr.  Their  first 
battle  occurred  in  the  wilderness  of  Akish,  when 
many  thousands  were  slain  Gilead  remained  for 
a  time  in  the  wilderness,  watched  by  Coriantumr; 
but  eventually  he  made  a  night  attack  on  the 
enemy,  and  the  latter,  being  drunken,  suffered 
great  loss.  Gilead  then  placed  himself  on  the 
throne  of  Coriantumr,  and  both  commanders 
busied  themselves  in  gathering  men  to  strengthen 
their  respe6live  armies.  Gilead,  who  had  the  sym- 
pathy of  some  of  the  secret  combinations,  received 
great  strength  during  the  two  years  they  were 
thus  engaged,  but  he  was  slain  by  his  own  high 
priest  as  he  sat  on  the  throne ;  an  evidence  of  the 
intensely  corrupt  state  of  society  among  the 
Jaredites  of  that  time  (towards  the  close  of  the 
seventh  century  B.  C). 

GILGAH.  One  of  the  four  sons  (his  name  is 
given  the  second  place)  otjared.  He  was  in  all 
probability  born  in  Asia  before  his  father  and 
associates  commenced  their  wonderful  journey  to 
America.     All  we  know  of  him  is  that  when  the 


Grilgal.  135     Gimgimno,  City  of. 

Jaredites  desired  a  king,  he  was  one  of  those  to 
whom  this  honor  was  offered,  and  who  refused. 
From  the  general  summary  given  us  of  the  char- 
adler  of  the  people  of  that  generation,  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe  he  was  a  righteous  man. 

GILGAL.  A  Nephite  general  who  com- 
manded a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last 
great  struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  the 
Lamanites.  He,  with  all  his  command,  was  slain 
in  the  final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumorah, 
(A.  C.  385),  when  the  Nephite  nation  was  anni- 
hilated. 

GILGAL,  CITY  OF.  A  wicked  city  of  the 
Nephites,  which  is  only  mentioned  in  connedlion 
with  its  destrudlion  in  the  awful  convulsions  of 
nature  that  took  place  on  this  continent  when  the 
Savior  was  crucified.  By  the  power  of  God  it 
sunk  and  its  corrupt  inhabitants  were  buried-  in 
the  depths  of  the  earth.  No  clue  is  given  to  its 
locality.  (Ill  Nephi,  9:  6.) 

GILGAL,  VALLEY  OF.  A  valley  men 
tioned  as  the  locality  of  several  desperate  battles 
in  the  last  Jaredite  war.  The  first  of  these  battles 
was  between  the  armies  of  Shared  and  those  of 
Coriantumr ;  it  lasted  three  days.  The  losses  on 
both  sides  were  exceedingly  heavj^  and  ended  in 
a  victory  for  Coriantumr,  who  pursued  the  enemy 
as  far  as  the  plains  of  Heshlon.  There,  another 
hotly  contested  fight  took  place,  in  which  the  tide 
of  fortune  turned,  and  Coriantumr  was  driven 
back  to  the  valley  of  Gilgal.  Here,  a  third  con- 
flict ensued,  in  which  Shared  was  killed  and  Cori- 
antumr wounded.  Nothing  is  said  in  the  Book 
of  Ether  that  gives  any  clue  to  the  localit}^  in 
which  Gilgal  was  situated. 

GIMGIMNO,  CITY  OF.  One  of  the  in- 
iquitous cities  of  the  Nephites,  whose  inhabitants 
had  persecuted,  cast  out  and  slain  the  prophets 
and  saints  of  the  Lord,  and  for  that  cause  was 
destro3^ed  by  being  sunk,  with   all  its  sin-stained 


Gomorrah.  136  Hagoth. 

citizens,  in  the  great  earthquakes,  etc.,  that  con- 
vulsed this  continent  when  Jesus  was  crucified. 
Hills  and  valleys  occupied  the  place  where  Gim- 
gimno  had  before  stood.     (Ill  Nephi,  9:  8). 

GOMORRAH.     Sister  city  to  Sodom.     Its 
name  is  mentioned  once  (II  Nephi,   23 :   19)   in  a  ^ 
quotation  from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah. 

GRAINS.  The  grains  mentioned  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon  are  wheat,  barley,  corn  and  peas. 
Chaff  is  also  named. 

--  HAGOTH.  A  Nephite  ship-builder  and  pro- 
moter of  emigration.  He  was  a  very  ingenious 
mechanic,  and  in  the  thirty-seventh  year  of  the 
Judges  (B.  C.  55),  he  settled  on  the  Pacific  side  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  where  the  lands  Desola- 
tion and  Bountiful  ran  parallel.  There  he  built  an 
exceedingly  large  ship,  and  launched  it  on  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  This  ship  he  filled  with  men, 
women,  and  children,  after  which  it  set  sail  north- 
ward ;  and  having  delivered  its  living  freight,  it 
returned  the  next  year,  again  to  start  northward 
loaded  with  passengers  and  provisions.  He  also 
built  other  ships,  which  engaged  in  the  same  trade. 
Some  of  these  never  reached  their  destination,  they 
were  either  lost  in  the  depths  of  the  sea  or  were 
carried  by  storms  and  adverse  winds  to  some  of 
the  many  groups  of  ivslands  that  dot  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  In  this  manner  it  is  more  than  probable 
the  Sandwich  Islands  were  peopled  with  the  an- 
cestors of  the  present  inhabitants.  The  loss  of 
these  vessels  did  not  stop  the  outflow  by  sea 
northward.  The  voyage  obviated  the  tedious 
land  journey  through  the  regions  now  known  as 
Central  America  and  Mexico.  At  what  point 
these  emigrants  disembarked  is  solely  a  matter 
of  conjedlure,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  the 
configuration  of  the  western  coast,  northward 
from  the  Isthmus,  was  ver3^  different,  previous  to 
the  immense  convulsions  and  upheavals  that 
occurred  at  the  death  of  Christ,  to  what  it  is  to- 


Hamath.  137  Helam,  City  of. 

day.  From  this  time  the  Nephites  paid  consider- 
able attention  to  ship-building,  and  the  sea  became 
the  highway  between  the  two  continents. 

HAMATH.  The  principal  city  of  Upper .  Syria 
(now  Hamah).  It  is  mentioned  twice  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  in  Nephi's  quotations  from  the  proph- 
ecies of  Isaiah  (II  Nephi,  20:  9;  21:  11). 

HEARTHOM.  A  king  of  the  Jaredites ;  he 
was  the  son  of  Lib,  whom  he  succeeded.  When  he 
had  reigned  twenty-four  years  the  kingdom  was 
wrested  from  him,  and  he  was  held  in  captivity 
by  the  successful  party  all  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  Only  one  of  his  sons  is  mentioned,  whose 
name  was  Heth.  Of  Hearthom's  private  character 
the  record  is  silent. 

HEBREW.  This  word  only  appears  in  one 
verse  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  (Mormon,  9:  33), 
where  it  occurs  three  times ;  always  referring  to  a 
language  and  in  connedlion  with  the  engravings 
on  the  Nephite  records.  The  language  to  which 
this  name  was  applied  in  the  days  of  Mormon  and 
Moroni  was  greatly  changed  from  the  Hebrew 
spoken  by  the  Israelites  at  the  time  Lehi  left 
Jerusalem,  nearly  a  thousand  years  before. 

HELAM.  A  Nephite  of  the  land  of  Lehi- 
Nephi,  in  the  days  of  king  Noah,  He  accepted  the 
teachings  of  Alma,  the  elder,  and  was  the  first 
man  baptized  by  him  in  the  waters  of  Mormon. 
One  thing  remarkable  about  his  baptism  is  that 
both  he  and  Alma  were  together  buried  in  the 
water ;  and  they  arose  and  came  forth  out  of  the 
water  rejoicing,  being  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God. 
We  have  no  further  mention  of  Helam ;  but  from 
the  fact  that  the  land  (eight  days'  journey  from 
Mormon)  to  which  Alma  and  the  saints  soon 
fled,  received  the  name  of  Helam  from  them,  it  is 
highly  probable  that  Helam  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing officers  of  the  church  established  by  Alma, 
and  greatly  respedled  by  the  people. 

HELAM,  CITY  OF.    The  city  built  by  the 


Helam,  Land  of  138  Helaman. 

people  of  Alma,  the  elder,  in  the  land  of  Helam, 
eight  days'  journey  from  the  waters  of  Mormon, 
in  the  direction  of  Zarahemla,  when  that  people 
fled  from  the  murderous  persecutions  of  king 
Noah.  After  a  few  years  of  peaceful  occupancy  it 
was  discovered  and  taken  possession  of  by  the 
Lamanites,  and  placed  by  the  king  under  the  rule 
of  Amulon,  one  of  the  former  priests  of  Noah.  By 
him  and  his  associates  the  Christian  people  of 
Helam  were  outrageously  abused,  until  the  Lord, 
in  His  mercy,  opened  up  the  way  for  their  escape. 
These  events  took  place,  as  near  as  can  be  told, 
between  the  years  B.  C.  147  and  B.  C.  122. 
Nothing  is  recorded  of  the  histor3^  of  this  city  after 
it  was  deserted  by  the  people  of  Helam. 

HELAM,  LAND  OF.  The  country  immedi- 
ately surrounding  the  city  of  Helam.  It  lay 
somewhere  between  the  cities  of  Lehi-Nephi  and 
Zarahemla;  eight  days'  journey,  for  emigrants, 
from  the  former  city,  and  fourteen  from  the  latter. 
It  is  only  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in 
connedlion  with  its  occupancy  for  a  few  years  by 
the  persecuted  people  of  Alma.  After  they  left,  it 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Lamanites  and  became  a 
subdivision  of  the  land  of  Nephi. 

HELAMAN.  One  of  the  sons  of  the  Nephite 
king,  Benjamin.  He  is  only  mentioned  once,  and 
then  in  connection  with  his  brothers,  Mosiah  and 
Heloram.  Nothing  is  said  with  regard  to  his 
private  charadler. 

HELAMAN,  THE  SON  OF  ALMA.  We 
have  no  account  of  the  date  or  place  of  birth  of 
this  prophet  and  general  of  the  Nephites ;  but  as 
his  father's  permanent  residence  was  in  the  city  of 
Zarahemla,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that 
it  was  there  that  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day. 
He  is  not  introduced  to  the  reader  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  until  he  had  arrived  at  the  age  of  man- 
hood (B.  C.  75),  when  it  is  stated  that  Alma  took 
his  two  younger  sons  with  him  on  his  mission  to 


139  Helaman. 

the  Zoramites,  while  Helaman  was  left  in  Zara- 
hemla,  most  probabl3^  to  take  charge  of  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Church  in  that  land  during  the  absence 
of  the  presiding  high  priest,  his  father. 

When  Alma  returned  home  from  this  mission, 
he  called  his  three  sons  to  him,  and  gave  to  each 
his  blessing  and  instrudlions.  His  admonitions  to 
Helaman  are  recorded  at  great  length  in  the  in- 
spired pages.  Alma  therein  reviews  his  own  life 
and  the  history  of  the  Nephites,  prophes\ang 
many  things  with  regard  to  the  future  of  that 
people.  He  also  exhorts  Helaman  to  be  diligent  as 
a  preacher  of  God's  holy  word,  and  to  lead  an  in- 
dividual life  of  righteousness  as  an  example  to  the 
Church.  At  this  time  he  likewise  gave  him  stridl 
charge  with  regard  to  the  keeping  of  the  records, 
to  continue  the  annals  of  the  nation  thereon,  to 
preserve  them  sacred,  and  to  prevent  certain  por- 
tions (containing  the  secret  oaths,  covenants  and 
other  works  of  darkness  of  the  Jaredites,)  being 
published  to  the  world,  lest  others  be  ensnared  by 
the  same  abominations. 

After  receiving  their  separate  instructions, 
Helaman,  as  also  his  two  brothers  and  their 
father,  went  forth  among  the  Nephites  declaring 
the  word  according  to  the  spirit  of  prophecy  and 
revelation  ;  and  they  preached  after  the  holy  order 
of  God,  by  which  they  were  called. 

In  the  year  following,  the  Lord  took  Alma,  as 
he  had  previously  taken  Moses.  The  prophet, 
being  doubtless  aware  of  his  speedy  departure 
from  this  dwelling-place  of  humanity,  took  his  son 
Helaman,  and  having  received  the  latter's  con- 
fession of  faith  in  the  coming  of  the  Christ,  he 
blessed  him,  and  prophesied  of  things  that  should 
occur  even  until  the  people  of  Nephi  should  be- 
come extindl.  Having  done  this,  he  blessed  the 
Church  and  its  faithful  members,  and  departed  out 
of  the  land,  never  by  mortal  eyes  to  be  seen 
again.    His  son  Helaman  and  others  then  went 


Helaman.  140 

through  the  cities  of  the  Nephites  and  regulated 
the  aifairs  of  the  Church ;  but  owing  to  the  pride 
of  many  who  would  not  give  heed  to  the  in- 
strudlions  given  them,  nor  walk  uprightly,  dis- 
sension arose,  which  in  after  years  led  to  numer- 
ous evils,  among  the  greatest  of,  which  was  a 
long-continued  war,  or  series  of  wars,  between 
the  faithful  Nephites  on  one  side,  and  the  apostates, 
and  afterwards  the  Lamanites,  on  the  other. 
Still,  for  four  years,  Helaman  and  his  associate 
priesthood  were  enabled  to  maintain  order  in  the 
Church,  and  many  died  in  full  faith  of  the  Gospel, 
and  the  joyous  hope  of  its  never-ending  rewards ; 
indeed,  during  that  period  there  was  much  peace 
and  great  prosperity  enjoyed  by  those  who  re- 
mained faithful. 

The  leader  of  those  who  apostatized  from 
the  true  faith  and  commenced  to  w^age  war 
against  their  former  brethren,  was  named  Ama- 
lickiah.  Being  defeated  by  Moroni,  the  Nephite 
commander,  and  his  army  crushed  (B.  C.  73),  he 
went  over  to  the  Lamanites,  and  stirred  them 
up  to  anger  against  the  race  to  which  he  belonged. 
For  some  time  he  was  unsuccessful  in  this  attempt, 
as  the  Lamanites  had  too  lately  received  severe 
defeats  to  be  anxious  again  to  tr^-  the  fortunes  of 
war.  By  his  craft,  however,  he  removed  every 
obstacle,  until  he  was  acknowledged  the  king  of 
the  descendants  of  Laman.  Towards  the  end  of 
the  year  his  armies  advanced  into  the  land  of 
Ammonihah,  and  from  that  time  the  war  was 
carried  on  with  slight  intermissions  and  with 
varying  success,  for  about  thirteen  years  (to  B.  C. 
60),  when  the  Lamanites  had  been  driven  out  of 
the  possessions  of  the  Nephites  and  peace  was  re- 
stored. Owing  to  the  utter  prostration  of  the  La- 
manites, hostilities  were  not  resumed  until  the 
year  B.  C.  53,  when  they  again  made  an  incursion 
into  the  Nephite  territory,  but  were  speedily  driven 
back  to  their  own  lands,  suffering  great  loss.    It 


141  Helaraan . 

was  during  this  thirteen  years'  war  that  Helaman 
appears  most  prominently  in  the  record  of  his 
nation,  and  in  the  annals  of  his  life  is  contained 
one  of  the  sublimest  and  sweetest  episodes  in 
Nephite  history. 

The  war  (B.  C.  66)  had  been  working  disas- 
trously to  the  Nephites,  when  the  people  of 
Ammon,  feeling  that  they  were  a  burden  rather 
than  a  help  to  their  benefacftors,  though  indeed  they 
were  not,  desired  to  be  released  from  their  oath 
and  covenant  "never  again  to  take  up  deadly 
weapons  against  their  fellows."  They  desired  in 
this  hour  of  extreme  peril  to  take  up  arms  in  de- 
fense of  the  liberties  of  their  adopted  country. 
From  this  rash  step  Helaman  and  his  brethren 
dissuaded  them,  lest  by  so  doing  they  should  im- 
peril their  eternal  salvation.  But  they  had  sons 
that  had  grown  far  towards  manhood,  who  had 
not  entered  into  this  covenant,  and  consequently 
were  not  shut  oiF  from  participating  in  the  dangers 
and  glories  of  the  war.  So  with  their  fathers'  and 
mothers'  consent,  faith,  prayers  and  words  of  en- 
couragement, two  thousand  of  these  youths  were 
mustered  into  the  Nephite  army.  These  striplings 
were  all  men  of  truth,  faith,  soberness  and  in- 
tegrity, and  w^ere  conspicuous  for  their  courage, 
strength  and  activity,  Being  organized,  they  de- 
sired that  Helaman,  for  whom  they  had  great  love 
and  respecft,  should  be  their  leader.  He  consented, 
and  at  their  head  marched  to  the  relief  of  the 
forces  of  the  republic  that  were  struggling  against 
considerable  odds  on  the  southern  borders  of  the 
Nephite  dominions,  from  the  shores  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  eastward. 

Helaman  found  the  Nephite  forces,  numbering 
about  six  thousand  w^arriors,  in  a  somewhat  de- 
plorable condition .  The  Lamanites,  in  the  strength 
of  greatly  superior  numbers,  had  captured  the 
cities  of  Manti,  Cumeni,  Zeezrom  and  Antiparah, 
and  held  possession  of  the  country  round  about. 


Helaman.  142 

These  cities  had  not  been  taken  without  much 
bloodshed  on  both  sides.  The  Nephites  had 
especially  lost  large  numbers  in  prisoners,  who 
were  generally  put  to  death  by  their  captors, 
except  the  superior  officers,  who  were  sent  to  the 
land  of  Nephi.  Antipns,  the  Nephite  commander, 
was  locked  up  in  the  city  of  Judea,  where,  dispirit- 
ed and  weakened  by  excessive  toil  and  fighting,  his 
troops  were  making  a  desperate  and  painful  effort 
to  fortify  the  city.  The  arrival  of  Helaman  and  his 
corps  brought  hope  and  joy  again  to  their  hearts, 
and  renewed  vigor  to  their  endeavors. 

King  Ammoron,  learning  that  reinforcements 
had  reached  the  defenders  of  Judea,  ordered  all 
adlive  operations  to  be  suspended  for  a  season. 
The  suspension  was  most  providential  to  the 
soldiers  of  Antipus,  as  it  gave  them  time  to  finish 
the  work  of  fortifying  the  beleaguered  city,  and 
also  to  recruit  their  health  and  energies.  By  the 
commencement  of  the  following  year  the  works  of 
defense  were  completed,  and  the  Nephites  be- 
came anxious  for  the  onslaught  they  had  so  great- 
ly dreaded  a  few  months  previous.  But  they  were 
disappointed.  The  Lamanites  did  not  feel 
sufficiently  strong  to  renew  aggressive  movements. 
They  contented  themselves  with  occupying  the 
Nephite  cities  they  had  already  captured.  In  the 
second  month  of  this  year  (B.  C.  65),  a  convoy  of 
two  thousand  additional  warriors  arrived  from 
the  land  of  Zarahemla,  with  abundant  provisions. 
The  Nephites  in  the  city  of  Judea  were  now  ten 
thousand  strong,  and  they  were  anxious  for  a  for- 
ward movement  in  order,  if  possible,  to  retake 
some  of  their  cities  which  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

Antipus  and  Helaman  resolved  on  a  ruse  to 
entice  the  Lamanites  from  behind  their  fortifica- 
tions. It  was  decided  that  Helaman  and  his 
command  should  march  out  of  Judea  with  the 
apparent  intention  of  carrying  supplies  to  one  of 


143  Helaman. 

the  cities  in  the  hands  of  the  Nephites,  that  was 
bnilt  near  the  sea  shore.  In  executing  this  man- 
euvre,  they  purposely  passed  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  cityof  Antiparah,in  which  was  stationed 
the  most  numerous  of  the  Lamanite  armies,  in  the 
hope  that  the  Lamanites  would  notice  that  their 
numbers  were  few,  and  thus  be  led  to  attack  them. 
The  stratagem  proved  successful.  The  garrison  of 
Antiparah  issued  forth  in  pursuit  of  Helaman, 
who,  with  all  haste,  retreated  into  the  wilderness 
northward,  his  intent  being  to  draw  his  pursuers 
as  far  as  possible  from  Antiparah.  When  the 
Lamanites  had  started  in  pursuit  of  Helaman, 
Antipus,  with  a  considerable  portion  of  his  army, 
marched  out  of  the  city  of  Judea  and  fell  in  the 
Lamanites'  rear.  The  retreat  soon  became  a  race. 
The  Lamanites  crowded  forward  with  all  possible 
expedition  in  the  endeavor  to  reach  Helaman 
before  Antipus  caught  them.  Helaman,  on  the 
other  hand,  used  his  utmost  energy  to  keep  out  of 
their  clutches.  Neither  of  the  three  bodies  turned 
to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  but  kept  straight  on  in 
the  effort  to  outmarch  their  foes.  Night  came  and 
w^ent,  and  on  the  morrow  the  double  pursuit  was 
still  kept  up.  Another  night  fell,  but  not  one  dare 
turn  from  his  course. 

On  the  third  morning  the  race  for  life  and  vic- 
tory was  again  renewed,  but  before  long  the  La- 
manites, concluding  thc}^  could  not  overtake  Hela- 
man, suddenly  stopped,  and  awaited  the  coming 
of  Antipus  and  his  weary  soldiers,  whom  they  un- 
expedledly  attacked  with  great  fury,  slew  Antipus 
and  several  of  his  captains,  threw  the  Nephite 
troops  into  great  confusion  and  forced  them  to 
commence  a  retreat.  In  the  meantime,  Helaman 
discovered  that  he  was  no  longer  pursued,  and  not 
knowing  the  reason,  was  in  doubt  what  course  to 
take.  He  called  a  hasty  council  of  war,  at  which 
it  was  determined  to  return  at  once,  and  risk  the 
chances  of  being  caught  in  a  trap  by  the  crafty 


Helaman.  144 

Lamanites.  The  statement  which  Helaman  makes 
regarding  the  condudl  of  his  young  soldiers  at 
this  council  is  very  interesting.  After  he  had  ex- 
plained the  situation  to  them,  he  inquired :  What 
say  ye,  my  sons,  will  ye  go  against  them  in  battle? 
Without  hesitancy  they  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, sa3dng:  Father,  behold  our  God  is  with  us, 
and  He  will  not  suffer  that  we  shall  fall ;  then  let 
us  go  forth;  we  would  not  slay  our  brethren  if 
they  would  let  us  alone ;  therefore  let  us  go  lest 
they  should  overpower  the  army  of  Antipus.  Here 
Helaman  remarks:  Now  they  never  had' fought, 
yet  they  did  not  fear  death;  and  they  did  think 
more  of  the  liberty  of  their  fathers  than  they  did 
upon  their  lives;  yea,  they  had  been  taught  by 
their  mothers  that  if  they  did  not  doubt  that  God 
would  deliver  them.  And  the3'  rehearsed  unto  me 
the  words  of  their  mothers,  saying,  we  do  not 
doubt  our  mothers  knew  it. 

Helaman  and  his  sons  arrived  none  too  soon 
on  the  field  of  battle.  The  soldiers  of  Antipus 
were  already  fleeing  before  their  more  numerous 
foes,  but  the  valor  and  impetuosity  of  the  youth- 
ful Ammonites  were  irresistible.  They  fell  on  the 
Lamanite  rear  with  a  daring  and  miraculous 
strength,  possessed  only  by  men  who  put  their 
whole  trust  in  God.  Thus  attacked  in  the  rear, 
the  Lamanites  immediately  halted,  changed  front, 
and  threw  their  whole  force  against  the  Ammon- 
ites. The  surviving  officers  of  Antipus'  army,  find- 
ing that  Helaman  had  come  to  their  rescue,  stopped 
their  retreat,  reorganized  their  scattered  bands, 
and  renewed  the  attack.  The  Lamanites  were 
compelled  to  succumb;  they  could  not  resist  the 
desperate  courage  of  the  Nephites  that  was  driving 
them  in  at  both  front  and  rear.  Their  legions  all 
surrendered,  and,  by  Helaman's  orders,  were  sent 
as  prisoners  of  war  to  Zarahemla. 

And  what  about  the  young  warriors  of  Am- 
mon?      So    great    was    their   faith,    so    potent 


145  Helaman. 

its  workings,  that  when,  after  thebattlc,  Helaman 
called  the  roll  of  his  3'outhful  heroes,  not  one  was 
missing.  The  faith  sown  by  their  mothers'  words 
had  borne  fruit — they  were  all  preserved.  To  their 
undaunted  prowess,  for  they  fought  as  if  with  the 
strength  of  God,  the  Nephites  unhesitatingly 
accorded  the  glory  of  the  day. 

Still  the  hardly  contested  war  continued.  Six 
thousand  men,  with  provisions,  reached  Helaman 
from  Zarahemla  and  the  regions  round  about  (B. 
C.  63),  besides  sixty  more  young  Ammonites,  who 
had  grown  sufficiently  vigorous  to  assume  the 
hardships  of  military  life.  The  city  of  Cumeni 
shortly  afterwards  capitulated  through  the  want 
of  provisions,  its  supplies  having  been  continu- 
ously cut  off  by  Helaman's  troops.  This  surrender 
threw  so  many  prisoners  on  the  hands  of  the 
Nephites  that  they  were  unable  to  guard  or  feed 
them.  An  officer  named  Gid,  with  a  sufficient  force, 
was  detailed  to  convey  them  to  Zarahemla,but  on 
their  way,  passing  near  an  invading  body  of  La- 
manites,  the  prisoners  made  a  desperate  attempt 
to  escape.  A  few  succeeded  in  getting  away,  but 
the  greater  number  were  slain  by  their  guards.  Gid 
and  the  escort  having  no  further  occasion  to  go 
on  to  Zarahemla,  returned  to  Helaman. 

His  arrival  was  most  opportune,  for  Ammo- 
ran,  having  received  large  reinforcements,  sud- 
denly attacked  the  Nephites,  and  was  driving  all 
their  corps  from  their  positions,  except  the  youth- 
ful Ammonites,  who  stood  firm  as  a  rock,  when 
the  arrival  of  Gid  and  his  company  turned  the 
tide  of  battle.  The  young  warriors  again  re- 
ceived the  warm  praise  of  their  father  andgeneraL 
They  had  remained  firm  and  undaunted  through 
all  the  perils  of  the  fight,  obeying  and  performing 
every  command  with  the  exadlness  and  coolness 
of  veterans.  In  the  hottest  of  the  encounter  they 
never  forgot  their  mothers'  words,  nor  their 
heavenly  Father's  protedling  blessing.     Though  in 


Helaman.  146 

this  fierce  conflidl,  wherein  they  undauntedly  bore 
the  brunt  of  the  enemy's  savage  onslaughts,  every 
one  was  wounded,  even  that  two  hundred  fainted 
for  loss  of  blood,  yet  not  one  was  slain,  and  their 
preservation  was  marvelous  in  the  eyes  of  their 
fellow-soldiers. 

After  this  battle  the  Nephites  retained  the  city 
of  Cumeni,  while  the  Lamanites  retreated  east- 
ward to  Manti,  which  was  situated  on  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Sidon.  Nor  was  it  for  several 
months  that  that  city  could  be  taken,  as,  owing  to 
internal  dissensions  at  the  Nephite  capital,  and 
the  attempt  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  people  to 
overthrow  the  republic  and  establish  a  monarchy, 
Pahoran,  the  chief  judge,  was  unable  to  supply 
the  necessary  provisions  and  reinforcements. 

In  this  strait,  Helaman  and  his  fellow-officers 
called  on  the  Lord  in  fervent  prayer,  which  was 
not  unanswered.  They  received  assurances  of 
deliverance  and  victory.  These  blessed  assur- 
ances inspired  fresh  faith  and  infused  renewed 
courage  in  the  war-weary  hearts  of  those  not 
given  over  to  the  love  of  carnage.  Fired  with  the 
determination,  by  God's  grace,  to  conquer,  they 
entered  on  a  campaign  against  the  city  of  Manti, 
which  by  strategy  they  captured  before  the  end 
of  the  year  (B.  C.  63).  The  moral  eflfedl  of  this 
victory  was  so  great,  that  the  Lamanites  re- 
treated into  the  wilderness,  evacuating  the  whole 
of  the  Nephite  territory  on  the  west,  but  un- 
fortunately taking  with  them,  as  prisoners,  many 
women  and  children.  Such  was  the  condition  of 
affairs  when  Helaman  wrote  to  Moroni,  the 
Nephite  commander-in-chief,  who  was  dire(fting 
the  campaign  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  continent, 
and  it  is  from  this  letter  that  the  above  details  of 
the  war  on  the  Pacific  slope  are  condensed. 

For  more  than  a  year  Moroni  could  not  send 
the  needed  help  to  Helaman.  The  rebels  in  Zara- 
hemla  had  driven  the  chief  judge  out  of  the  city. 


147  Helaman. 

and  he  had  taken  refuge  in  Gideon.  From  there  he 
wrote  to  Moroni  to  come  to  his  assistance,  which 
that  officer  did  at  the  earliest  possible  moment, 
leaving  the  armies  in  the  northeast  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lehi  and  Teancum.  As  he  advanced  he 
rallied  the  people  on  his  line  of  march  to  the  de- 
fense of  the  liberties  of  the  republic,  and  was  so 
successful  that,  after  having  joined  the  chief  judge, 
Pahoran,  he  succeeded  in  overthrowing  the  ''king 
men,"  killing  their  leader,  Pachus,  and  com- 
pletely crushing  the  rebellion.  This  being  accom- 
plished, he  sent  6,000  men  with  the  necessary  pro- 
visions to  reinforce  Helaman  (B.  C.  61). 

The  campaign  during  this  year,  along  the 
Atlantic  coast,  was  a  decisive  one.  The  Laman- 
ites,  in  man\'  stubborn  battles,  were  driven  from 
city  to  city,  until  they  were  forced  out  of  ever^^ 
one  Lhat  they  had  captured,  during  the  progress  of 
the  war,  from  the  Nephites.  On  the  west  coast 
they  do  not  appear  to  have  renewed  hostilities. 
The  consequence  was,  that  in  the  next  year  peace 
was  established  in  all  the  land,  not  a  Lamanite 
warrior  remaining  on  Nephite  soil.  Then  Pahoran 
returned  to  his  judgment  seat,  and  Helaman  re- 
commenced his  labors  in  the  ministry  (B.  C.  60). 

The  longcontinuedand  savage  war  just  closed 
had  brought  various  evils  to  the  Church,  in  many 
parts  of  the  land  it  may  be  said  to  have  been  dis- 
organized. The  occupancy  of  so  many  of  the 
Nephite  cities  by  the  unbelieving  Lamanites  had 
produced  numerous  demoralizing  efife(?ts  ;  murders, 
contentions,  dissensions,  and  all  manner  of  iniquity 
had  become  rife,  and  the  hearts  of  the  people 
became  hardened,  3^et  not  altogether  so.  for  there 
were  some  who  acknowledged  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  in  all  their  afflidlions,  ctnd  these  humbled 
themselves  in  the  depths  of  humility;  and  because 
of  the  pra^^ers  of  these  righteous  ones,  the  people 
were  spared. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Helaman 


Helaman.  148 

went  forth  to  call  the  people  to  repentance  and  set 
the  Church  in  order.  In  this  blessed  work  he  had 
much  success,  and  with  the  help  of  his  brethren  he 
a^ain  established  the  Church  of  God  throughout 
all  the  land.  These  labors  he  continued  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  his  joy  therein  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  continued  faithfulness  of  the 
people,  who,  notwithstanding  their  abundant 
prosperity,  which,  as  ever,  followed  their  repent- 
ance, they  remained  humble,  fervent  in  prayer  and 
diligent  in  works  of  righteousness.  Such  was  the 
happy  condition  of  the  people  of  Nephi  when 
Helaman  died  (B.  C.  57),  he  having  sur\ived  his 
illustrious  father  sixteen  years.  And  Shiblon,  his 
brother, "took  possession  of  the  sacred  things  that 
had  been  delivered  unto  Helaman  by  Alma." 

HELAMAN,  THE  SON  OF  HELAMAN. 
The  life  of  this  patriarch  is  not  given  with  the 
same  details  in  the  inspired  record,  as  are  those  of 
his  father,  and  his  illustrious  son  Nephi.  In  the 
year  B,  C.  53,  he  was  entrusted  with  the  care  of 
the  sacred  plates  by  his  uncle  Shiblon,  and  three 
years  later  (B.  C.  50)  he  was  elected  by  the  Nephite 
people  to  be  their  chief  judge,  in  which  office  he 
administered  the  law  with  justice  and  equity  until 
the  year  B.  C.  39,  when  he  died.  He  had  two  sons, 
whom  he  named  after  the  first  fathers  of  his 
people — Nephi  and  Lehi.  It  was  his  eldest  son,  the 
righteous  and  faithful  Nephi,  who  succeeded 
him  on  the  judgment  seat,  and  who  also  took 
charge  of  the  sacred  plates  and  the  other  holy 
things  that  accompanied  them. 

The  few  years  that  preceded  the  elevation  of 
Helaman  to  the  judgment  seat,  were  among  the 
most  important  in  Nephite  history,  for  at  that 
time  arose  that  terrible  and  devilish  organization, 
the  Gadianton  robbers,  who  for  so  long  cursed 
the  inhabitants  of  ancient  America. 

Helaman  being  a  God-fearing,  just  man,  his 
election  was  very  distasteful    to    the  Gadianton 


149  Helaman. 

band  and  its  sj^mpathizers.  They  resolved  to  slay 
him,  as  they  had  before  slain  the  younger  Pahoran, 
and  place  Gadianton  on  the  judgment  seat  in  his 
stead.  To  accomplish  this,  the  same  vile  instru- 
ment was  chosen  —  Kishkumen.  But  the  protedl- 
ing  hand  of  the  great  Jehovah  was  over  and  round 
about  Helaman,  and  He  preserved  him  from  the 
assassin's  knife.  A  servant  of  Helaman  (possi])ly 
a  detective  commissioned  in  such  times  of  peril  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  dangerous  classes,) 
by  disguise  became  acquainted  with  the  doings  of 
the  robber  band,  and  of  their  intentions  towards 
his  master.  As  Kishkumen  was  on  his  way  to 
fulfil  his  bloody  w^ork,  this  servant,  whose  name 
is  not  recorded,  met  him,  and  gave  him  one  of 
their  secret  signs.  This  admitted  him  into  the 
confidence  of  the  assassin,  who  explained  his 
errand,  and  asked  to  be  condudled  privately  into 
the  judgment  hall  where  Helaman  was  then  sit- 
ting in  the  performance  of  his  duties.  This  was 
agreed  upon ;  the  two  proceeded  to  where  the  mur- 
derer expedled  to  find  his  vidlim.  The  strategy 
of  the  servant  had  disarmed  suspicion  —  Kishku- 
men was  off  his  guard.  At  the  opportune  moment 
the  servant  stabbed  him,  and  so  adroitly  did 
he  perform  his  work,  that  the  robber  fell  dead 
without  a  groan.  The  servant  immediately  ran  to 
the  judgment  hall,  and  informed  Helaman  all 
that  he  had  heard,  seen  and  done.  Without  delay 
orders  were  issued  for  the  arrest  of  the  band,  but 
its  members,  finding  that  Kishkumen  did  not  re- 
turn, and  fearing  that  he  had  miscarried  in  his  un- 
holy work,  under  the  guidance  of  their  leader, 
fled  precipitately  into  the  wilderness  b\'  a  secret 
way,  and, in  thedepths  of  its  luxuriant  vegetation, 
hid  in  a  place  where  they  could  not  be  found. 

The  succeeding  years  were  of  peculiar  pros- 
perity, though  not  of  great  righteousness,  among 
the  Nephite  people.  They  spread  out  and  colon- 
ized in  every    diredlion.      Many    thousands  emi- 


Helaman.  150  Helem. 

grated  to  the  northern  continent,  among  them 
great  numbers  of  the  Ammonites,  who  were 
originally  Lamanites.  Numerous  new  cities  were 
built,  and  the  old  ones  repaired;  ship-building  was 
largely  carried  on,  and  the  arts  and  manufa(ftures 
encouraged.  Temples,  tabernacles  and  sancftuaries 
were  eredled  in  great  numbers;  in  fadl,  the  people 
spread  out  and  covered  both  continents,  north  and 
south,  east  and  west.  The  sacred  historian 
states  that  he  has  not  recorded  one-hundredth 
part  of  the  doings  of  the  people — their  wickedness 
and  righteousness,  their  wars  and  contentions, 
their  peace  and  prosperity;  but  many  records  were 
kept  upon  which  the  history  of  these  things  were 
engraved,  all  of  which  that  are  necessary  for  the 
world's  good  will  be  brought  to  light  in  Heaven's 
own  time. 

The  annals  of  the  remainder  of  Helaman's  rule 
are  very  short.  In  the  j^ears  B.  C.  45  and  44, 
there  were  many  contentions  in  the  land,  but  in 
the  latter  portion  of  the  succeeding  year  they 
measurably  ceased,  and  tens  of  thousands  were 
baptized  unto  repentance.  So  great  was  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Church  at  this  time,  that  even  the 
priesthood  were  surprised  thereat,  and  at  the  mul- 
tiplicity of  the  blessings  that  were  poured  out  upon 
the  people.  This  happy  state  of  affairs  continued 
until  the  death  of  Helaman,  though  somewhat 
marred  by  the  increasing  pride  and  vanity  that 
long-continued  prosperity  had  begotten  in  the 
hearts  of  many  of  the  Christians. 

HELEM.  A  brother  of  Amnion,  the  leader 
of  the  party  that  went  from  Zaraliemla  to  Lehi- 
Nephi  to  discover  the  people  of  Zeniff  (B.  C.  122). 
Helem  accompanied  his  brethren  on  this  expedi- 
tion, and  was  one  cf  the  four  cast  into  prison  by 
king  Limhi,  under  the  supposition  that  they  were 
some  of  the  priests  of  his  father,  Noah,  who  had 
carried  off  the  daughters  of  the  Lamanites. 
Helem  is  only  mentioned  by  name  in  connedlion 


Helorum.  151  Heth. 

with  this  incident;  but  it  is  evident  that  if  he 
was  a  brother  of  Ammon,  according  to  the  flesh, 
he  was  a  descendant  of  Zarahemla,  and  doubtless 
was  born  in  the  land  of  that  name  and  returned 
to  it  with  the  rest  of  the  party  when  they  led  the 
people  of  Limhi  out  of  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi. 

HELORUM.  A  Nephite  prince,  one  of  the 
sons  of  king  Benjamin.  He  was  instructed  by  his 
father  in  all  the  learning  of  his  people,  both  sacred 
and  secular,  and  in  the  history  of  the  Nephites, 
with  especial  reference  to  God's  dealings  with,  and 
preserving  care  over  them.  His  name  is  only 
mentioned  once,  and  then  in  connedlion  with  his 
two  brothers. 

HEM.  A  brother  of  Ammon,  who  accompan- 
ied him  on  his  expedition  to  Lehi-Nephi.  What  is 
said  of  Helem,  can  be  said  of  Hem,  and  no  more. 

HERMOUNTS.  A  wilderness,  north  and 
west  of  Zarahemla,  which  was  infested  wnth  wild 
and' ravenous  beasts.  Into  this  wilderness  the 
vidlorious  Nephites  drove  the  remnants  of  the 
Lamanites  and  Amlicites  (B.  C.  87),  where  great 
numbers  were  devoured  by  wild  beasts  and  vult- 
ures. 

HESHLON,  PLAINS  OF.  After  the  defeat 
of  Shared  by  Coriantumr,  in  the  valley  of  Gilgal, 
the  first  named  fled  to  the  plains  of  Heshlon, 
(Ether  13:  28),  thither  Coriantumr  pursued  him, 
and  another  battle  was  fought,  in  which  Shared 
was  vidlorious,  and  Coriantumr  again  retreated 
to  the  valley  of  Gilgal.  It  is  only  in  connedlion 
with  this  war  that  these  plains  are  mentioned, 
and  there  is  nothing  in  the  record  of  the  inspired 
historian  to  point  out  their  locality. 

HETH.  A  cruel  and  vicious  king  of  the  Jared- 
ites.  He  was  the  son  of  Com.  His  grandfather, 
Coriantum,  was  a  righteous  ruler,  and  the  people 
prospered  greatly  during  his  reign;  but  in  the  days 
of  Com  the  increase  of  wealth  and  prosperity  was 
accompanied  by  an  increase  of  wickedness,  and  the 


Heth.  152 

old  secret  plans  and  associations  were  revived. 
Heth  became  a  leader  in  these  things  and  rose  in 
rebellion  against  his  father,  slew  him  with  his  own 
sword,  and  became  king  in  his  stead.  The  Lord 
then  sent  many  prophets,  who  called  upon  the 
people  to  repent,  declaring  that  if  they  did  not,  a 
terrible  famine  should  come  upon  the  land.  The 
people,  led  and  inspired  by  Heth,  rejected  the  words 
of  the  prophets  and  cruelly  persecuted  them  ;  some 
they  cast  out,  some  they  threw  into  pits  and  left 
them  to  perish.  Before  long  the  rains  from  heaven 
ceased,  and  there  was  a  great  dearth  over  all  the 
land;  and  poisonous  serpents  made  their  appear- 
ance and  killed  many  people.  These  serpents  also 
attacked  the  flocks  of  the  Jaredites  and  drove 
them  in  vast  bodies  towards  the  southern  conti- 
nent. Many  perished  by  the  way,  but  some 
reached  the  land  known  to  the  Nephites  as  Zara- 
hemla.  Restrained  by  the  power  of  God,  the  ser- 
pents stopped  at  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  where 
they  formed  a  cordon,  preventing  the  Jaredites 
from  further  following  their  scattered  flocks.  The 
carcasses  of  the  beasts  which  fell  by  the  way  were 
ravenously  eaten  by  the  famished  people,  until  the^^ 
had  devoured  them  all.  We  can  scarcely  imagine 
the  horrors  that  must  have  attended  this  famine, 
when  the  people  consumed  the  poisoned  flesh 
of  the  creatures  thus  killed.  Disease  in  its  most 
terrible  form  must  have  followed  famine.  Before 
long  even  this  loathsome  food  was  all  consumed 
and  the  people  rapidly  perished.  Then  those  who 
remained  began  to  repent  of  their  sins  and  call  on 
the  Lord ;  and  when  they  had  humbled  themselves 
sufficiently,  the  Lord  sent  the  long-needed  rain  and 
the  remnants  of  the  race  began  to  revive.  Soon 
there  began  to  be  fruit  in  the  north  country  and 
the  regions  around  about,  and  Shiz,  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  the  royal  house,  reigned  over  the  few  that 
were  left;  for  Heth  and  all  his  household,  except 
Shiz,  had  perished  in  the  famine. 


Heth.  153  Insects  and  Reptiles. 

HETH.  A  Jaredite  prince,  who  was,  by  the 
usurping  dynasty,  held  in  captivity  all  his  days. 
He  was  the  son  of  king  Hearthom,  who  w^as  de- 
posed and  kept  a  prisoner  all  his  life.  Heth's  son, 
Aaron,  was  also  held  captive  from  the  day  of  his 
birth  to  his  death. 

HETH,  LAND  OF.  A  land  of  the  Jaredites, 
apparently  not  far  from  Moron,  the  land  they 
first  occupied.  When  Jared,  the  son  of  king  Omer, 
rebelled  against  his  father,  it  is  said  that  he  came 
and  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Heth.  This  is  the  only 
time  that  this  countr}'  is  mentioned.    (Ether  8:  2.) 

HIMNI.  One  of  the  four  sons  of  king  Mo- 
siah,  and  apparently  the  youngest,  who  went 
up  to  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi  to  minister 
among  the  Lamanites,  (B.  C.  91).  With  the  rest  of 
his  brothers,  he  w^as  faithful  in  the  performance  of 
the  labors  of  this  great  mission,  and  with  them  he 
returned  at  its  close  to  his  home  in  Zarahemla. 
Of  his  individual  labors,  or  in  what  particular 
lands  he  ministered,  we  have  no  account.  After 
his  return  he  still  continued  a  zealous  and  devoted 
servant  of  the  Lord ;  and  in  B.  C.  75,  when  Alma, 
the  high  priest,  took  his  brothers  to  the  land  of 
Antionum  to  preach  to  the  Zoramites,  we  are  told 
he  left  Himni  with  the  church  in  Zarahemla.  This 
is  the  last  notice  w^e  have  in  the  Book  of  Mormon 
of  this  God-fearing  and  virtuous  prince.  ^^^ 

HOREB.    This  name  is  only  used  once  in  the     ' 
Book    of      Mormon    (IH  Nephi,   25:   4)     in    our 
Savior's  quotation  from  the  prophecies  of  Malachi. 
It  is  generally  understood  to  be  another  name  for 
Mount  Sinai,  which  idea  this  quotation  confirms.^ 

IMMANUEL.  This  name  appears  twice  in  y 
the  Book  of  Mormon  (H  Nephi,  17:  14;  18:  8)  in 
quotations  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah. 
-  INSECTS  AND  REPTILES.  There  are 
mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  the  asp,  bee, 
bat,  honey-bee,  cockatrice,  fly,  moth,  serpent,  and 
worms ;  largely  in  quotations  from  the  Bible. 


b^ 


Irreantum.  154  Isaiah. 

IKREANTUM.  The  name  given  by  Lehi's 
colony  to  an  arm  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  Arabia.  On  its  shore  Nephi  and 
his  brethren  built  the  ship  that  carried  them  to 
this  continent.  It  was  either  the  Persian  Gulf  or 
Gulf  of  Oman,  the  which  does  not  clearly  appear 
from  the  records.  Nephi  informs  us  that  the 
meaning  of  the  word  Irreantum  is  many  waters. 

ISAAC.  The  son  of  Abraham.  The  Lord  is 
several  times  called  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  *'the 
God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God 
of  Jacob,"  and  it  is  in  this  connedlion  that  the 
name  of  this  patriarch  most  frequently  occurs. 

ISABEL.  A  harlot  of  the  land  of  Siron,  who 
stole  away  the  hearts  of  many.  Among  those 
seduced  by  her  meretricious  charms  was  Coriantotiy 
the  son  of  Alma,  the  younger,  who  forsook  the 
ministry  among  the  Zoramites,  on  purpose  to 
enjoy  her  comjDany,  greatly  to  the  injury  and 
scandal  of  the  work  of  God  among  that  people, 
and  to  the  great  grief  of  his  father  (B.  C.  75). 

ISAIAH.  One  of  the  Twelve  Disciples  called 
and  chosen  by  Jesus  to  minister  to  the  Nephites  at 
the  time  of  his  visit  to  that  people  (A.  C.  34). 
Isaiah  was  present  near  the  temple  in  the  land 
Bountiful  when  Jesus  appeared,  and  was  baptized 
b3'  Nephi  on  the  day  following.  He  is  not  again 
mentioned  by  name  in  the  sacred  record. 

ISAIAH.  The  Hebrew  prophet.  His  prophe- 
cies were  engraven  on  the  plates  obtained  from  La- 
ban,  and  were  greatly  valued  by  Nephi  and  his 
righteous  descendants.  The  following  chapters 
from  the  Book  of  Isaiah  are  quoted  in  full  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon:  chapters  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9, 
10,  11,  12,  13.  14,  48,  49,  50,  51,  53,  54.  They 
are  given  to  us  very  much  as  they  appear  in  the 
Bible,  with  here  and  there  an  important  addition, 
which  had  evidently  been  left  out  of  the  manu- 
scripts from  which  the  Bible,  as  we  have  it  to-day, 
were  originally  taken.    In    a  few    instances    the 


Ishmael.  155       Ishmael,  Land  of. 

meaning  of  the  passage  is  entirely  altered ;  for 
instance :  Thou  hast  multiplied  the  nation  and 
not  increased  the  joy  (Isaiah,  9:  3,)  appears,  Thou 
hast  multiplied  the  nation  and  increased  the  joy. 
(II  Nephi,  19:  3.) 

ISHMAEL.  A  righteous  Israelite  of  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  who,  with  his  family,  which  was 
large,  lived  in  Jerusalem,  B.  C.  600.  At  this  time 
Ishmael  must  have  been  advanced  in  years,  for  he 
had  five  marriageable  daughters,  besides  several 
grown  up  sons.  By  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord,  the  sons  of  LeAi  returned  from  their  encamp- 
ment on  the  border  of  the  Red  Sea  to  Jerusalem, 
and  invited  Ishmael  and  his  family  to  join  them  in 
their  journey  to  a  promised  land.  The  Lord  soft- 
ened their  hearts  and  they  accepted  the  invitation, 
left  their  home,  and  went  down  with  the  young 
men  into  the  wilderness;  though  from  the  oft- 
repeated  rebellious  conducft  of  some  of  Ishmael's 
sons,  it  appears  that  they  never  had  much  faith, 
if  any  at  all,  in  the  prophetic  mission  of  Lehi,  or 
in  the  woes  pronounced  upon  Jerusalem  by  the 
servants  of  the  Most  High.  Soon  after  the  ar- 
rival of  the  party  at  the  tents  of  Lehi,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Ishmael  was  married  to  Zoram,  and 
four  others  wedded  the  sons  of  Lehi.  In  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  toilsome  journey  in  the  Arabian 
desert,  Ishmael  appears  to  have  been  faithful  to 
the  Lord,  but  when  the  company  reached  a  place 
to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Nahom,  Ishmael 
died,  and  ^vas  there  buried.  His  demise  was  the 
cause  of  much  sorrow  to  his  family,  and  was  made 
the  pretext,  by  its  rebellious  portion,  for  renewed 
murmuring  and  fresh  outbreaks.     (See  Nephi.) 

ISHMAEL.  A  descendant  of  Nephi  living  in 
the  second  century  before  Christ,  He  was  the 
grandfather  of  the  prophet  Amulek,  No  particu- 
lars are  given  of  his  life  or  death. 

ISHMAEL,  LAND  OF.  The  first  land  of 
the  Lamanites  visited  (B.  C.  91)  by  Ammon,  the 


Ishmaelites.  156  Jacob. 

missionary  prince.  It  was  then  ruled  over  by  a 
king  named  Lamoni.  Its  situation  is  not  clearly 
stated;  it  was  down  from  the  land  of  Nephi  (Lehi- 
Nephi).  This  leads  to  the  thought  that  it  was 
situated  in  the  alluvial  plains  to  the  east  of  the 
Andes.  It  does  not  seem  consistent  with  the  nar- 
rative of  Ammon's  mission  to  believe  it  was  situ- 
ated in  the  strip  of  wilderness  that  lay  between  the 
mountains  and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Its  relative 
position  to  other  lands  forbids  this  idea.  Near  the 
highway  that  connedled  Ishmael  and  Nephi,  lay 
the  land  of  Middoni.  This  is  shown  by  the  fa(?t 
that  when  King  Lamoni  and  Ammon  were  travel- 
ing from  Ishmael  towards  Middoni  they  met  La- 
moni's  father  coming  from  Nephi.  This  leads  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  same  road  from  Ishmael  led  to 
both  Nephi  and  Middoni.  Nephi  is  called  up  from 
both  the  other  lands.  The  land  was  named  after 
the  sons  of  Ishmael,  from  whom  the  then  reigning 
dynasty  were  descended. 

ISHMAELITES.  The  descendants  of  that 
Ishmael  who,  with  his  family,  left  his  home  in  Je- 
rusalem and  accompanied  Lehi  on  his  journey  to 
the  promised  land.  After  the  death  of  Lehi  they 
became  absorbed  in  the  Lamanite  race  and  formed 
a  part  of  that  people.  When  corruption  and  dis- 
sension had  entered  into  the  true  church  (A.  C. 
231),  some  reassumed  the  name  of  Ishmaelites. 
We  are  told  (IV  Nephi,  1:  38),  they  who  rejecfted  the 
gospel  were  called  Lamanites,  and  Lemuelites, 
and  Ishmaelites;  and  they  did  not  dwindle  in  un- 
belief, but  they  did  wilfully  rebel  against  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ ;  and  they  did  teach  their  children 
that  they  should  not  believe,  even  as  their  fathers, 
from  the  beginning,  did  dwindle  in  unbelief 

ISRAELITES.  The  people  of  Israel; 
called  by  that  name  once  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, (Helaman,  8:  11). 

JACOB.  The  elder  of  the  two  sons  born  to 
Lehi  and  Sariah  (say  between  B.  C.  599  and  595) 


157  Jacob. 

while  the^^  were  traveling  in  the  Arabian  wilder- 
ness. He  was  a  mighty  man  of  God,  and,  appar- 
ently, next  to  Nephi,  the  greatest  and  most 
devoted  of  all  the  sons  of  Lehi.  When  the  little 
colony  divided  after  the  death  of  their  patriarch, 
Jacob,  who  was  yet  young,  followed  Nephi,  and 
was  ordained  by  him  a  priest  to  the  people.  Un- 
doubtedly he  received  the  higher  priesthood,  or  he 
could  not  have  acfted  in  the  rites  of  the  lesser 
priesthood,  he  being  of  the  tribe  of  Manasseh,  and 
not  of  Levi.  He  magnified  this  calling  with  much 
zeal  and  prudence,  and  Nephi  records,  at  consider- 
able length,  extracts  from  his  teachings.  When 
Nephi  died,  Jacob  appears  to  have  taken  charge  of 
the  spiritual  concerns  of  the  people,  and  to  have 
presided  over  the  church ;  he  also  became  the  cus- 
todian of  the  sacred  treasures.  He  received  many 
revelations,  and  was  blessed  with  the  spirit  of 
prophecy.  So  great  was  his  faith  that  he  could 
command,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  the  trees,  the 
mountains,  and  the  waves  of  the  sea  obeyed  his 
word.  For  all  this,  some  of  the  Nephites  of  his 
daj-  were  not  strong  in  the  Lord,  they  gave  way 
to  the  spirit  of  greed  and  lust,  and  had  to  be 
sharply  reproved  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  through 
Jacob.  In  his  day  also  the  first  anti-Christ, 
Sherem,  appeared,  a  type  of  many  who  came  after. 
But  this  presumptuous  impostor  was  stricken  by 
the  power  of  God,  and  paid  the  penalty  of  his  folly 
with  his  life,  and  Jacob  had  reason  to  rejoice  in 
the  eradication  of  his  heresies,  and  the  return  of 
the  Nephites  to  sound  do6lrine.  Jacob  lived  to  a 
good  old  age.  We  have  no  account  of  the  time  or 
circumstances  of  his  death,  but  before  he  passed 
away  he  gave  the  sacred  records  into  the  keeping 
of  his  son  Enos. 

JACOB.  A  Nephite  apostate  of  the  Zoramite 
se6l.  He  joined  the  Lamanites  in  the  war  inaugur- 
ated by  Amalickiah,  and  was  placed  in  command 
of  the  city  of  Mulek^  the  most  northern   of  the 


Jacob.  158 

Nephite  cities,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  captured  by 
the  Lamanites.  It  was  a  key  to  the  surrounding 
country.  While  it  remained  in  Lamanite  posses- 
sion, it  was  very  little  use  for  Moroni,  the  Nephite 
commander-in-chief,  to  attempt  to  recover  the 
cities  that  lay  along  the  shores  of  the  east  sea.  yet 
farther  south.  The  Nephite  generals  did  not 
consider  themselves  justified  in  making  an  at- 
tempt to  carry  the  place  by  assault.  Such  an 
effort  would  have  cost  too  many  noble  lives,  and 
probably  have  proven  unsuccessful.  Moroni  had 
with  him  at  this  time  two  of  his  most  trusted 
lieutenants,  Lehi  and  Teancum,  both  of  whom 
were  little  inferior  to  the  chief  captain  in  wisdom 
and  valor.  At  a  council  of  war  it  was  determined 
to  attempt  the  capture  of  Mulek  hj  strategy. 
They  had  already  sent  embassies  to  Jacob, 
desiring  him  to  bring  his  armies  into  the  open 
plain  to  meet  the  Nephites  in  battle,  but  the 
Lamanite  commanders  were  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  discipline  and  courage  of  the  Nephite 
forces  to  take  such  a  risk.  There  was,  therefore, 
but  one  plan  left,  other  than  to  patiently  sit  down 
before  the  city  and  reduce  it  by  a  regular  siege, 
and  that  was  to  decoy  a  portion  of  its  defenders 
beyond  the  protection  of  its  walls,  and  when  it 
was  thus  weakened,  to  carry  it  by  storm.  Moroni 
determined  on  this  course.     (B.  C.  64.) 

By  command  of  Moroni,  the  gallant  Teancum, 
with  a  small  force,  marched  along  the  sea  shore  to 
the  neighborhood  of  Mulek ;  while  Moroni,  with 
the  main  body  of  the  army,  unperceived  by  the 
enemy,  made  a  forced  march  by  night  into  the 
wilderness  which  lay  on  the  west  of  the  city. 
There  he  rested,  Lehi,  with  a  third  corps,  re- 
mained in  the  city  of  Bountiful. 

On  the  morrow,  Teancum's  small  division  was 
discovered  by  the  Lamanite  outposts,  and  from 
the  fewness  of  its  numbers  the3^  judged  it  would 
fall  an  easy  prey.     Jacob  at  once  sallied  forth  at 


159  Jacob. 

the  head  of  his  warriors  to  attack  the  presumptu- 
ous Nephites.  On  their  approach  Teancum  cau- 
tiously retreated  along  the  sea  shore  towards  the 
city  of  Bountiful.  Jacob  followed  in  vigorous 
pursuit.  Moroni,  in  the  meanwhile,  divided  his 
army  into  two  corps,  one  of  which  he  dispatched 
to  capture  the  city,  and  with  the  other  he  closed  in 
between  Jacob's  army  and  Mulek.  The  first  corps 
accomplished  its  work  without  difficulty,  for 
Jacob  had  left  but  a  small  force  behind  him,  and 
all  who  would  not  surrender  were  slain. 

The  Lamanites  crowded  after  Teancum  in  hot 
pursuit  until  they  came  nigh  unto  Bountiful,  when 
they  were  met  by  Lehi  and  the  small  force  under 
his  command.  At  his  appearance  the  Lamanite 
captains  fled  in  confusion,  lest  they  should  be  out- 
generaled and  cut  off  from  their  fortifications. 
Jacob's  warriors  were  weary  by  reason  of  their 
long  and  hasty  advance,  w^hile  Lehi's  soldiers  were 
fresh  and  unfatigued.  But  Lehi  refrained  from 
pressing  too  vigorously  on  his  retreating  foes, 
as  his  object  was  not  to  exhaust  his  men 
until  the  hour  of  battle  came,  and  he  was  anxious 
to  avoid  a  conflicft  till  he  and  Moroni  could, 
at  the  same  moment,  attack  the  Lamanites  in 
front  and  rear. 

When  Jacob  drew  near  the  city  he  found  him- 
self confronted  by  the  soldiers  of  Moroni,  who 
closed  in  around  his  warriors  and  barred  their 
further  progress  southward;  while  Lehi,  putting 
forth  his  pent-up  energies,  fell  with  fury  on  their 
rear.  Weary  and  worn  though  his  troops  were, 
Jacob  would  not  surrender.  He  determined,  if 
possible,  to  cut  his  way  through  to  Mulek.  With 
this  intent  he  made  a  desperate,  though  ineffecft- 
ual,  charge  on  Moroni's  lines.  The  Nephites  being 
fresh  and  unwearied,  never  wavered.  The  battle 
here  raged  with  indescribable  fierceness,  and  with 
heavy  losses  to  both  sides.  The  wild  Lamanites, 
in  the  frenzy  of  desperation,  dashed  with  all  their 


Jacob.  160 

strength  and  prowCvSs  against  the  well-ordered 
ranks  of  the  Nephites  in  the  one-absorbing  en- 
deavor to  force  their  way  through.  While  the 
Nephites,  in  the  heroic  courage  which  religion  and 
patriotism  inspire,  stood  cool  and  undismayed. 
In  this  desperate  encounter  Moroni  was  wounded 
and  Jacob  slain. 

While  Jacob  was  thus  impetuously  charging 
on  Moroni's  corps,  Lehi  with  his  "strong  men" 
was  as  furiously  driving  in  the  Lamanite  rear. 
At  last  the  soldiers  of  Jacob  in  that  part  of  the 
field  surrendered.  Their  leader  being  slain,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  troops  hesitated  between  throwing 
down  their  arms  and  continuing  the  hopeless 
strife.  Moroni,  with  his  intense  hatred  of  un- 
necessary bloodshed,  when  he  noticed  that  they 
wavered,  cried  out  that  if  they  would  lay  down 
their  weapons  and  deliver  themselves  up  he  would 
spare  their  lives.  His  oifer  was  accepted.  The 
chief  captains,  who  remained,  came  forward  and 
placed  their  weapons  at  his  feet  and  commanded 
their  men  to  do  the  same.  Most  of  the  warriors 
obeyed,  yet  numbers  would  not.  They  preferred 
death  to  surrender,  and  force  had  to  be  used  to 
wrest  their  weapons  from  them.  The  Lamanite 
prisoners  were  then  sent  under  an  escort  to  the 
city  of  Bountiful,  and  when  counted  were  found 
to  exceed  in  numbers  the  slain  on  both  sides  in  the 
late  battle. 

JACOB.  In  the  years  just  previous  to  the  fall 
of  the  Nephite  commonwealth,  (A.  C.  30)  a  relent- 
less persecution  was  waged  against  the  followers  of 
Christ,  when  many  of  the  believers,  under  the 
color  of  the  law,  were  unjustly  put  to  death.  But 
though  executed  by  order  of  the  corrupt  courts,  the 
proceedings  w^ere  in  the  highest  degree  illegal,  as  it 
was  contrary  to  the  Nephite  law  for  any  prisoner 
to  be  put  to  death  unless  the  warrant  therefor  had 
first  been  signed  by  the  chief  governor  of  all  the 
land.    Contrary  to  the  provision  of  this  statute, 


161  Jacob. 

the  persecutors  of  the  saints,  feeling  strong  in  their 
numbers  and  influence,  set  the  law  at  open  defiance, 
and  continued  to  condemn  and  execute  the  Chris- 
tians. Amongthose  conspicuous  for  this  revenge- 
ful and  illegal  course,  was  a  man  of  much  influence 
among  the  corrupt  and  degraded  majority,  whose 
name  was  Jacob. 

The  cry  of  these  infamies  reached  the  chief 
judge,  but  when  he  expostulated  the  offenders 
treated  his  requirements  with  contempt,  and 
broke  out  in  open  rebellion,  associating  them- 
selves together  by  the  same  unholy  oaths  and  cov- 
enants that  had  beforetime  done  so  much  towards 
destroying  the  nation.  In  these  traitorous  move- 
ments Jacob  made  himself  conspicuous. 

The  leaders  in  these  conspiracies  determined 
to  overthrow  the  republic  and  establish  a  monar- 
chy. To  this  end  the  chief  judge  was  assassinated 
and  Jacob  proclaimed  king. 

The  result  was  not  as  successful  as  the  royal- 
ists anticipated.  The  majority  of  the  people 
would  not  be  ruled  by  a  king.  They  preferred 
rather  to  break  up  into  numerous  tribes,  each 
w^ith  its  own  chieftain  and  internal  regulations; 
but  all  these  tribes  of  the  people  united  in  their 
objedlions  to  the  proclamation  of  a  monarchy. 

Jacob,  who  had  with  him  the  majority  of  the 
most  vile  and  corrupt  of  the  nation,  those  who 
had  been  most  officious  and  relentless  in  perse- 
cuting the  servants  of  God,  did  not  despair.  He 
imagined  that  in  course  of  time  he  would  be  so 
greatly  strengthened  by  dissatisfied  members  of 
the  tribes  that  he  would  eventually  be  able  to  con- 
quer them  and  establish  his  supremacy.  For  the 
present  he  determined  to  remove,  with  those  who 
recognized  his  authority,  to  the  northernmost 
part  of  the  land,  there  consolidate  his  power  and 
found  his  kingdom.  So  ably  did  he  carry  his  inten- 
tions into  effedl  that  the  tribes  were  unable  to  ar- 
rest his  movements. 


Jacob.  162  Jacobugath. 

Arrived  at  the  chosen  land,  Jacob  and  his  peo- 
ple laid  the  foundation  of  a  magnificent  city,  to 
which  was  given  the  name  of  Jacobugath  (A.  C. 
31).  His  subjects  were  mostly  rich,  and  their 
material  progress  was  remarkable,  but  they  ex- 
ceeded in  vice,  in  depravity,  in  corruption,  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  continent.  Their  history  is  a 
short  one.  In  the  terrible  convulsions  of  nature 
that  marked  the  sacrifice  of  the  Lord  of  Life  and 
Glory,  Jacobugath,  with  many  other  Nephite cities, 
was  entirely  consumed  by  fire.  (A.  C.  34.)  Its 
population  of  traitors  and  murderers  was  des- 
troyed, that  the  blood  of  the  prophets  and  the 
saints  should  not  come  up  unto  God  any  more 
against  them.  If  Jacob  was  yet  alive  he  un- 
doubtedly perished  at  this  time  with  his  people. 

JACOB.  The  Bible  patriarch  of  that  name. 
Individually  he  is  seldom  referred  to  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  but  the  Israelites  are  frequently 
spoken  of  as  the  seed  or  the  house  of  Jacob,  and 
the  Lord  as  the  God  of  Jacob;  while  the  promise  is 
made  on  several  occasions  to  the  righteous  that 
they  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

JACOB,  CITY  OF.  One  of  the  cities  sunk 
in  the  depths  of  the  earth  at  the  time  of  the  great 
convulsions  that  attended  the  crucifixion  of  the 
Savior.  Its  iniquitous  citizens  had  persecuted 
and  slain  the  saints  of  God,  and  the  Lord  des- 
troyed them  from  before  His  face,  that  the  blood 
of  the  righteous  might  not  come  up  unto  Him  any 
more  against  them. 

JACOBITES.  One  of  the  divisions  of  the 
Nephite  people.  They  were  the  descendants  of 
Jacob,  the  son  of  Lehi. 

JACOBUGATH.  The  city  of  the  followers 
of  king  Jacob.  ~Tts~ history  was  short,  but  its  peo- 
ple were  pre-eminent  in  iniquity.  When  the  Nephite 
republic  was  broken  in  fragments  (A.  C.  30),  and 
the  people  divided  into  tribes,  the  royalists,  who 


163  Jacom. 

embraced  the  vilest  ofthe  race,  endeavored  to  gain 
control  and  establish  a  monarchy.  Among  them 
were  very  many  office-holders,  lawyers  and  petty 
judges,  who  thirsted  for  extended  power.  They 
had  been  the  foremost  in  persecuting  and  slaying 
the  servants  of  God,  and,  more  than  any  others, 
contributed  to  the  overthrow^  of  the  government. 
But  the  confederate  tribes  were  stronger  than  the 
monarchists  and  opposed  the  establishment  of  a 
kingdom.  Jacob  therefore  determined  to  take  his 
followers  to  the  northernmost  part  of  the  land  and 
there  establish  that  form  of  government.  So 
speedy  and  unexpecfted  were  his  movements  that 
the  tribes  were  unable  to  intercept  him.  He  ac- 
complished his  purpose,  built  a  large  city  and 
reigned  over  that  region  as  king.  We  can  well 
imagine  the  condition  of  society  composed  of  such 
elements,  it  must  have  been  a  head-centre  for 
everything  abominable,  and  turbulent.  Jacob, 
however,  flattered  himself  that  dissenters  from 
the  tribes  would  flock  to  his  standard  and  soon 
make  him  powerful  enough  to  extend  his  author- 
ity over  the  whole  land.  In  this  he  w^as  disap- 
pointed, for  in  the  horrors  of  the  upheavals  of 
nature  that  came  with  the  death  of  the  Savior, 
Jacobugath  and  its  people  disappeared  forever. 
Of  their  destruction  Jesus  himself  says:  "That 
great  city  Jacobugath,  which  was  inhabited  by 
the  people  of  the  king  of  Jacob,  have  I  caused  to 
be  burned  with  fire,  because  of  their  sins  and 
their  wickedness,  which  was  above  all  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  whole  earth,  because  of  their  secret 
murders  and  combinations;  for  it  was  they  that 
did  destroy  the  peace  of  m3^  people  and  the 
government  of  the  land:  therefore  I  did  cause 
them  to  be  burned,  to  destroy  them  from  before 
my  face,  that  the  blood  of  the  prophets  and  the 
saints  should  not  come  up  unto  me  any  more 
against  them." 

JACOM.    The  eldest  son  of  Jared,  the  father 


Jared.  164  Jared. 

of  the  Jaredite  race.  He,  with  others,  was  offered 
the  kingly  authority  by  the  people,  but  refused 
that  honor.  His  name  is  only  once  mentioned  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon  (Ether,  6:  14). 

JAKED.  The  founder  of  the  Jaredite  race. 
He  was  apparentl3',  one  of  those  engaged  in  the 
building  of  the  Tower  of  Babel.  It  is  presumable 
that  he  was  a  descendant  of  Shem,  as  he,  and 
most  certainly  his  brother,  held  the  holy  priest- 
hood. We  are  inclined  to  believe,  from  the  brief 
narrative  in  the  Book  of  Ether,  that  Jared 's 
brother  was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  colony  that 
accompanied  these  brothers  on  their  toilsome 
journey  to  this  continent.  Of  Jared 's  private 
character  we  are  told  but  little,  but  he  appears  to 
have  been  more  conservative,  more  pliable  and 
less  energetic  than  his  brother.  The  race  was 
named  after  him,  we  presume,  because  one  of  his 
sons,  Orihah,  became  its  first  king,  and  Jared's 
thus  became  the  royal  family.  Jared  had  four 
sons  and  eight  daughters :  the  names  of  his  sons 
were  Jacom,  Gilgah,  Mahah,  and  Orihah.  Jared 
lived  to  a  great  age.  He  died  and  was  buried  in 
the  land  of  Moron.  (For  particulars  of  the 
journey  of  Jared  and  his  people  see  Jared,  Brother 
of.) 

JARED.  One  of  the  most  unscrupulous  and 
bloodthirsty  of  the  ancient  Jaredites.  In  early 
life  he  rose  in  rebellion  against  Orner,  his  father, 
eventually  dethroned  him,  and  held  him  a  captive 
for  many  years,  while  he  (Jared)  occupied  the 
throne.  Some  of  Omer's  younger  sons,  incensed 
at  the  treatment  to  which  their  father  was  sub- 
jedled,  raised  an  army  and  totally  routed  the 
forces  of  the  usurper.  Jared  was  taken  prisoner 
and  only  saved  his  life  by  humble  submission  to 
his  father.  At  first  he  kept  his  promise,  but  his 
ambition  would  not  remain  dormant.  He  sighed 
and  wearied  for  the  kingly  authority,  until  his 
unrest  became  marked  by  all.     He  had  a  daughter 


165       Jared,  Brother  of. 

who  shared  her  father's  feelings,  and  at  her  insti- 
gation he  sent  for  a  friend  of  Omer's  named  Akisb, 
through  whom  he  hoped  to  regain  the  throne. 
An  entertainment  of  some  kind,  by  which  Jared's 
daughter  could  be  introduced,  was  given.  By 
prearrangement  with  her  father,  she  danced  before 
Akish,  and  so  exhibited  the  beauties  of  her  person 
and  the  graces  of  her  movements  that  he  became 
desperately  enamored  of  her.  As  she  antici- 
pated, Akish  asked  Jared  to  give  her  to  him  as  a 
wife.  The  latter  consented,  but  on  most  revolting 
conditions.  The  father  and  daughter  had  planned 
that  the  price  of  her  hand  was  to  be  the  head  of 
her  grandfather,  the  king.  Did  ever  ambition  con- 
ceive a  more  unnatural  crime  ?  Akish,  though 
a  friend  of  Omer,  consented  to  the  proposed  terms, 
and  to  help  him  in  his  treason  Jared  suggested  to 
him,  again  at  the  instance  of  his  daughter,  the 
plans  and  oaths  common  among  the  antedilu- 
vians, originally  used  by  Cain,  hj  which  the 
wicked  accomplished  their  vile  and  bloody  pur- 
poses. He  consented,  Omer  was  driven  from  the 
throne,  though  by  God's  mercy  his  life  was  spared; 
Jared  was  again  proclaimed  king,  and  Akish  be- 
came his  son-in-law.  Soon  the  latter  coveted  the 
royal  dignity;  possibly  the  woman  who  plotted 
the  death  of  her  grandfather  was  willing  to  sacri- 
fice her  father  also  that  she  might  be  queen  ;  such 
a  supposition  is  not  improbable.  At  any  rate, 
Jared  was  slain  on  his  throne  while  giving  audi- 
ence to  his  people,  by  some  of  the  members  of  the 
secret  society  of  assassins  that  he  had  been  the 
means  of  calling  into  existence  ;  and  Akish  reigned 
in  his  stead. 

JARED,  BROTHEK  OF.  The  prophet 
and  leader  of  the  founders  of  the  Jaredite  race.  His 
name  is  not  given  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  but  we 
learn  through  modern  revelation,  that  it  was 
Mahonri  Moriancumer.  He  was  in  all  probability 
a  descendant  of   Shem,  and   was  present   at    the 


Jared,  Brother  of        166 

building  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  if  not  adlually  en- 
gaged in  that  work ;  though  he  and  his  brother 
had  not  fallen  into  idolatry,  as  had  so  many  of 
the  builders  of  that  notorious  edifice.  When  God 
scattered  these  presumptuous  builders,  Jared  and 
his  brother  pleaded  with  the  Lord  that  their 
language  and  that  of  their  friends,  might  not  be 
confounded.  Their  prayer  was  heard,  their  mother 
tongue  was  preserved.  In  answer  to  their  further 
entreaties,  the  Lord  promised  to  lead  them  into  a 
land  choice  above  all  others,  where  He  wauld  make 
of  them  a  great  people ;  and  He  Himself  would  go 
before  them,  as  their  guide.  In  obedience  to  the 
heavenly  command,  Jared,  his  brother,  and  their 
friends,  with  their  respedlive  families,  gathered 
their  flocks,  and  seeds  of  various  kinds,  and 
started  to  follow  as  the  Lord  should  lead. 

The  valley  into  which  the  Lord  first  led  them 
was  called  Nimrod,  after  that  mighty  hunter  of 
the  early  post-diluvian  age.  Here  the  people  of 
Jared  tarried  for  a  time,  while  they  prepared  for 
the  long  journey  which  was  before  them.  Their 
flocks  and  herds  they  had  with  them;  they  now 
went  to  work  and  snared  fowls";  they  carried  with 
them  hives  of  honey  bees  (known  to  them  by  the 
name  of  deseret);  and  prepared  a  vessel  in  which 
they  transported  the  fish  of  the  waters.  They 
appear  to  have  colledled  everything  that  could 
possibly  be  of  use  to  them.  The}^  were  going  to  a  \ 
land  that  had  been  swept  clean  by  the  waters  of 
the  Deluge ;  it  had  been  bereft  of  all  its  animal  life; 
the  seeds  of  grains  and  fruits  no  longer  germinated 
in  its  soil;  and  the  colony  had  to  replenish  the 
continent  with  the  animal  and  vegetable  life 
necessary  for  their  comfort  and  sustenance,  as 
though  it  was  a  new  earth.  When  in  the  valley  of 
Nimrod,  the  Lord  came  down  and  talked  with  the 
brother  of  Jared.  But  the  brother  of  Jared  saw 
Him  not,  for  the  Lord  remained  concealed  in  a 
cloud.     And    God    diredled    that    the    company 


167       Jared,  Brother  of. 

should  go  forth  into  the  wilderness,  into  that 
quarter  where  man  had  never  yet  been.  As  they 
journeyed  the  Heavenly  Presence  went  before  them 
in  the  cloud,  ins LruAed  them  and  gave  diredlions 
which  way  they  should  travel.  In  the  course  of 
their  journey  they  had  many  waters — seas,  rivers, 
and  lakes,  to  cross,  on  which  occasions  they  built 
barges,  as  diredled  by  the  Lord.  It  must  have 
been  an  arduous  labor,  requiring  much  time  and 
great  patience  to  transport  their  flocks  and  herds, 
with  all  the  rest  of  their  cumbrous  freight,  across 
these  many  waters.  As  they  advanced  to  a  great 
distance  from  the  centre  of  population  in  western 
Asia,  it  is  possible  they  traveled  beyond  the  limits 
to  which  the  larger  animals  had  by  that  time 
scattered;  and  if  so,  they  were  entirely  without 
the  aid  of  the  food  obtained  by  the  chase ;  on  the 
other  hand,  it  is  probable  that  the  fish  in  the  lakes 
and  rivers  formed  a  valuable  source  of  food  supply; 
yet  it  must  also  be  remembered  they  carried  fish  in 
a  vessel  with  them. 

Led  by  the  Lord  personally,  instrudled  by  His 
own  mouth,  protedled  by  His  presence,  the  colony, 
of  which  Jared's  brother  appears  to  have  been  the 
prophet  and  leader,  at  last  reached  the  borders  of 
the  great  sea  which  divides  the  continents.  To  the 
place  where  they  tarried  they  gave  the  name 
of  Moriancumer.  Here  they  remained  for  a  period 
of  four  years',  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  Lord 
again  visited  the  brother  of  Jared  in  a  cloud,  and 
chastened  him  and  his  brethren,  because  of  their 
neglecft  to  call  upon  His  name.  Repentance  fol- 
lowed this  reproof,  and  because  of  their  repent- 
ance their  sins  were  forgiven  them. 

The  brother  of  Jared  was  then  commanded  by 
the  Lord  to  build  eight  barges,  after  the  same 
pattern  as  those  he  had  previously  construdled. 
This  command  he  obeyed  with  the  assistance  of 
the  company.  The  vessels  were  small,  light  in 
construdlion  and  water  tight.     As  they  were  dark 


Jared,  Brother  of.        168 

in  the  interior,  by  reason  of  being  without  win- 
dows, the  Lord,  at  the  entreaty  of  the  brother  of 
Jared,  touched  sixteen  small  white  stones,  which 
the  latter  had  molten  out  of  a  high  mountain 
called  Shelem ;  and  after  the  Lord  touched  them 
they  shone  forth  and  gave  light  to  the  vessels  in 
which  they  were  placed.  When  the  Lord  put  forth 
His  finger  to  touch  these  stones,  the  veil  was 
taken  from  before  the  eyes  of  the  brother  of  Jared 
and  he  saw  the  finger  of  the  Lord ;  and  it  was  as 
the  finger  of  a  man,  like  unto  flesh  and  blood. 

And  because  of  the  brother  of  Jared 's  great 
faith  the  Lord  showed  Himself  unto  him,  and  de- 
clared Himself  to  be  Jesus  Christ,  who  should 
come  into  the  world  to  redeem  His  people. 

All  things  being  prepared,  Jared  and  his  peo- 
ple, with  their  animals,  fishes,  bees,  seeds  and 
multitudinous  other  things,  went  on  board;  a 
favorable  wind  wafted  them  from  shore,  and  they 
gradually  crossed  to  the  American  coast.  At  the 
end  of  a  somewhat  stormy  voyage  of  three  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  days  the  colony  reached  this 
continent.  It  is  generally  understood  that  the 
place  where  they  landed  was  south  of  the  Gulf  of 
California  and  north  of  the  land  Desolation,  which 
was  north  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 

No  sooner  had  the  people  of  Jared  landed  than 
they  humbled  themselves  before  the  Lord,  many 
of  them  shedding  tears  of  joy  because  of  the  multi- 
tude of  His  tender  mercies  in  bringing  them  so 
safely  to  this  new  land  of  promise.  Their  next 
duty  was  to  prepare  for  the  future.  They  com- 
menced to  till  the  soil  and  perform  the  other 
labors  incidental  to  founding  a  new  home.  In 
these  efforts  they  prospered  greatly.  They  began 
to  grow  and  increase  in  numbers  and  in  wealth ; 
and  even  better  than  this,  they  were  a  righteous 
people,  being  taught  diredlly  from  on  high.  In 
process  of  time  Jared  and  his  brother  grew  old, 
and  perceiving  that    their  course  on  earth  was 


169      Jared,  Brother  of. 

nearly  finished,  the  latter  proposed  that  they 
gather  the  people,  number  them,  give  them  neces- 
sary teachings,  and  learn  their  wishes.  This  was 
done ;  but  to  the  grief  of  the  brother  of  Jared,  the 
people  desired  that  a  king  be  anointed  to  rule  over 
them.  He  saw,  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  that 
this  acftion  would  lead  to  many  evils,  and  he  was' 
inclined  to  refuse  their  request,  but  Jared  pleaded 
that  the  wnshes  of  the  people  be  granted,  and  his 
brother  finally  consented.  It  w^as  the  first  step  in 
the  wrong  direction,  and  led  to  much  sin,  misery, 
contention  and  captivity.  The  people  having  the 
privilege  granted  them,  chose  Pagag,  the  eldest 
son  of  their  prophet.  He  declined,  as  did  all  of  his 
brothers,  and  also  all  the  sons  of  Jared  except 
Orihah.  The  last  named  accepted  the  royal  dig- 
nity and  was  anointed  king.  Soon  after  this  the 
brother  of  Jared  died,  full  of  years  and  honor. 
Like  Enoch,  he  had  been  privileged  to  enter  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,  and  to  have  revealed  to  him 
the  history  of  the  world  in  all  its  generations.  He 
was  also  a  seer,  having  received  the  priceless  gift 
of  a  Urim  and  Thummim.  His  faith  was  never  ex- 
ceeded by  the  sons  of  men;  he  laid  hold  of  the 
promises  of  the  Almighty  with  unshaken  confi- 
dence. B\^  that  faith  he  performed  miracles ; 
Moroni  tells  us  that  by  its  power  he  ''said  unto 
the  mountain  Zerin,  remove,  and  it  was  removed," 
(Ether,  12:  30) ;  but  of  the  circumstances  that  at- 
tended this  manifestation  of  Divine  power,  we 
have  not  the  slightest  details.  The  brother  of 
Jared  is  also  said  to  have  been  "mighty  in  writing:" 
the  uncorrupted  language  which  he  used  being,  un- 
questionably, most  favorable  for  expressing  niceties 
of  thought  in  written  charadlers.  He  was  a  "large 
and  mighty  man"  in  personal  appearance,  and 
undoubtedly  as  strong  in  his  integrity  to  God,  and 
in  his  moral  courage,  as  he  was  in  physical  charac- 
teristics. Altogether,  we  deem  him  one  of  the 
greatest  prophets  and  leaders  of  God's  people  that 


Jaredites,  The.  170  Jarom. 

ever  graced  this  earth.  When  he  died  he  left  be- 
hind him  twenty-two  sons  and  daughters. 

JAREDITES,  THE.  The  descendants  of 
Jared  and  his  associates,  who  were  led  by  the 
power  of  God  from  the  Tower  of  Babel  to  this 
continent.  Here  they  became  one  of  the  mightiest  of 
nations,  and  flourished  in  a  manner  unsurpassed 
in  the  history  of. the  post-deluvian  races,  until  they 
fell  into  decay  through  corruption  and  iniquity 
and  were  ultimately  destroyed  in  a  desolating 
internecine  war,  at  the  end  of  which  but  one  man, 
Cormntumr,  remained  as  the  representative  of 
this  once  mighty  people.  The  destrucftion  of  the 
Jaredites  took  place,  as  nearly  as  can  be  gleaned 
from  the  record,  about  the  same  time  as  the  Ne- 
phites  reached  this  land,  (say  B.  C.  590.) 

JAROM.  A  Nephite  prophet  who  lived  in  the 
fourth  and  fifth  centuries  before  Christ.  He  was 
the  son  of  Enos,  the  son  of  Jacob,  the  brother  of 
Nephi,  and  was  intrusted  with  the  care  of  the 
plates  of  Nephi,  which  he  appears  to  have  re- 
tained 59  years,  or  from  the  180th  to  the  239th 
year  of  the  Nephite  annals.  From  his  record  we 
learn  that  during  his  days  many  of  the  Nephites 
were  a  stiff-necked  and  hard-hearted  people,  among 
whom  the  prophets  and  priesthood  labored  dili- 
gently, warning  them  of  the  great  evils  that  must 
ultimately  result  to  the  nation  if  they  did  not  re- 
pent. Their  labors  were  blessed  with  measurable 
success.  It  is  pleasing  to  learn  from  Jarom 's 
writings  that  the  Nephite  kings  and  leaders  were 
mighty  men  in  the  faith  of  the  Lord,  who  not  only 
led  them  to  victory  over  their  earthly  enemies,  but 
instrudled  them  in  the  ways  of  eternal  salvation. 
The  laws  of  the  land  were  exceedingly  stridl,  the 
law  of  Moses  was  rigorously  observed,  the  Sab- 
bath day  was  kept  holy  unto  the  Lord,  and  pro- 
fanity and  blasphemy  were  unknown.  Under  the 
wise  and  righteous  administration  of  these  kings, 
the  Nephites  spread  widely  over  the  land  of  Nephi, 


Jashon,  Land  of.         171  Jehovah. 

which  was  then  their  home,  and  increased  greatly 
in  numbers,  though  they  were  nothing  like  so  nu- 
merous as  the  Lamanites,  with  whom  they  had 
several  wars  during  the  time  embraced  in  Jarom's 
record.  The  Lamanites  invaded  the  Nephite  pos- 
sessions "many  times,"  but  were  driven  out  as 
often  as  they  came.  During  this  period  the  arts 
of  peace  w^ere  also  encouraged,  and  the  Nephites 
grew  exceedingly  rich;  it  also  appears  to  have  been 
an  epoch  in  which  manufadlures  took  a  decided 
step  in  advance.  Reference  is  made  to  progress  in 
the  working  of  the  precious  metals,  in  the  manu- 
fadlure  of  machinery  and  tools,  as  well  as  of 
weapons  of  w^ar;  greater  attention  was  paid  to 
fine  workmanship  in  wood  and  to  improve- 
ments in  building:  altogether  w^e  may  consider  it  a 
very  prosperous  portion  of  this  people's  existence. 
If  Jarom  died  in  the  year  he  delivered  the  plates  to 
his  son  Omni,  that  event  took  place  362  years  be- 
fore the  advent  of  the  Messiah. 

JASHON,  CITY  OF.  The  chief  city  of  the 
land  of  Jashon.  We  are  told  that  it  w^as  situated 
near  the  land  where  Ammaron  had  deposited  the 
records  unto  the  Lord.  That  land  (Mormon,  1: 
3)  was  called  Antum. 

JASHON,  LAND  OF.  During  the  last  great 
war  between  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites  in  A.  C. 
345,  the  former  were  driven  to  the  land  of 
Jashon,  and  hence  northward  to  the  land  of  Shem. 
This  is  the  only  time  that  this  land  is  mentioned 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (Mormon,  2:  16).  It  is 
supposed  to  have  been  situated  on  the  northern 
continent. 

JEBERECHIAH.    The  father  of  a  certain 
Zechariah  mentioned  in  Isaiah,  8: 2,  and  appearing  ^ 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  the  quotation  of  that 
passage  (II  Nephi,  18:  2).    Some  suppose  it  to  be^ 
a  corruption  of  the  name  Berechiah.  ^-^ 

JEHOVAH.  This  name  appears  but  twice 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon.    Once  (II  Nephi,  22:  2) 


Jeremiah.  172  Jershon. 

in  a  quotation  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah ;   and 

(Moroni,  10:    34)  in  Moroni's    closing  remarks, 

before  finally  hiding  up  the  records  of  theNephites. 

JEREMTAH.    One  of  the  Twelve  Disciples, 

called  and  chosen  by  Jesus  to  minister  to  the  Neph- 

ites  at  the  time  of  His  visit  to  that  people  (A.  C. 

34) .    Jeremiah  was  present  near  the  temple  in  the 

land    Bountiful    when  Jesus    appeared  and    was 

baptized  by  Nephi  on  the  day  following.    He  is 

not    again    mentioned    by    name    in    the    sacred 

^record. 

yViS^     JEKEMIAH.     The     Jewish     prophet.     He 

^y*    lived  and  prophesied  at  the  same  time  as  Lehi, 

^    ^^'and  appears  to  have  been  persoaally  acquainted 
^«r     ^th  him.     Many  oT^his  prophecies  were  recorded 

/  on  the  plates  of  brass  obtained  by  Nephi  from 

Laban.  (I  Nephi,  5:  13.)  His  prophecies  regard- 
ing the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  advent 
of  the  Messiah  are  referred  to  by  Nephi,  the  son  of 
Helaman.  (Helaman,  8:  20.) 

JERSHON.  This  was  the  name  given  to 
the  regions  set  apart  by  the  Nephites  (B.  C.  78) 
as  the  home  of  the  Ammonites,  or  Christian 
Lamanites.  It  was  situated  to  the  north  of  Zara- 
hemla  and  was  evidently  chosen  for  the  reason 
that  the  strength  of  the  Nephite  nation  would  lie 
between  the  fugitives  and  their  former  country- 
men, the  Lamanites,  who  then  thirsted  for  their 
blood.  It  was  bounded  b^^  the  Caribbean  Sea  and 
the  land  Bountiful  on  the  north  and  east,  and  by 
the  land  of  Antionum  on  the  south.  Its  western 
boundary  is  not  defined,  but  we  are  inclined  to 
believe,  from  the  context,  that  it  was  the  river 
Sidon.  Its  geographical  situation  is  partly  de- 
scribed in  Alma,  27:  22,  thus:  We  [the  Nephites] 
will  give  up  the  land  of  Jershon,  which  is  on  the 
east  by  the  sea,  which  joins  the  land  Bountiful, 
which  is  on  the  south  of  the  land  Bountiful,  With 
regard  to  its  southern  boundary.  Alma,  31:  3, 
states  that  Antionum  lav  to  the  south  of  it. 


Jerusalem.  173    Jerusalem,  City  of. 

No  sooner  had  the  Ammonites  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  land  Jershon  than  a  church  was  estab- 
hshed  there,  with  Ammon;  the  son  of  king 
Mosiah,  as  the  high  priest.  The  first  attempt  on 
the  integrity  of  its  members  was  made  by  the 
anti-Christ  Korihor  (B.  C.  75),  but  by  Ammon 's 
orders  he  was  escorted  beyond  the  borders  of 
Jershon.  When  division  arose  among  the  Zoram- 
ites,  in  the  land  of  Antionum,  regarding  the 
preaching  of  Alma  and  his  associates,  and  the 
gospel  believers  were  driven  from  their  homes  by 
their  intolerant  fellow  citizens,  Jershon  became 
their  place  of  refuge.  .  The  Ammonites  having  in 
like  manner  suffered  persecution  received  the  fugi- 
tives gladly,  and,  indifferent  alike  to  the  threats 
and  appeals  of  the  Zoramite  leaders,  found  them 
homes  and  afforded  them  the  needed  succor  and 
helpful  guidance  (B.  C.  75).  In  the  war  that 
followed,  Jershon  was  dispossessed  of  its  citizens 
and  occupied  by  an  army  of  the  Nephites.  No 
battles,  however,  appear  to  have  been  fought 
there,  as  the  Lamanite  commanders  transferred 
the  scene  of  hostilities  to  other  regions.  (B.  C. 
74.)  After  this,  Jershon  is  not  mentioned  by  name 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

JERUSALEM,  CITY  OF.  A  Lamanite  city 
within  the  borders  of  the  land  of  Nephi.  (See  land 
of  Jerusalem.) 

JERUSALEM,  CITY  OF.  The  chief  city  of 
the  Jews.  It  was  the  home  of  Lehi  (B.  C.  600) ; 
there  he  prophesied  and  thence  he  was  led  by  the 
hand  of  the  Lord.  It  is  often  spoken  of  by  the 
writers  in  the  Book  of  Mormon, more  especially  in 
connedlion  with  its  destrudlion  by  the  Babylo- 
nians, and  is  mentioned  in  fiequent  quotations 
from  Isaiah.  The  3^ear  of  the  departure  of  Lehi 
from  Jerusalem  was  made  the  initial  date  inNephite 
chronology ;  that  people  counting  their  years  as  so 
many  "after  Lehi  left  Jerusalem."  With  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  republic,  the  Nephites  added  "year 


Jerusalem,  Land  of.    174  Jesus  Christ. 

of  the  Judges"  to  their  former  system,  and  their 
annals  sometimes  refer  to  a  date  in  both  methods 
of  computation, 

JERUSALEM,  LAND  OF.  A  land  of  the 
Lamanites.  It  was  in  the  immediate  vicinit\'  of 
the  waters  of  Mormon,  probably  east  or  north 
from  Lehi-Nephi.  There  (about  B.  C.  100)  the 
Lamanites,  Amulonites  and  various  Nephite  apos- 
tates built  a  large  and  thriving  city,  and  named  it 
after  their  fathers'  ancient  home  in  Judca.  In  this 
city  Aaron,  the  son  of  king  Mosiah,  unavailingly 
preached  the  gospel.  Its  apostate  citizens  were 
too  sin-hardened  to  accept  the  glorious  message 
which  he  bore.  They  continued  in  their  career  of 
crime  and  iniquity  until  it  was  engulfed  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  in  the  dire  calamities  that  at- 
tended the  crucifixion  of  the  Lord  of  Life  and 
Glory.  Waters  came  up  in  the  place  of  this 
proud  city,  and  a  stagnant  sea,  akin  to  that  which 
hides  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  occupied  the  place 
where  its  grand  palaces  and  rich  synagogues  pre- 
viously stood. 

JERUSALEM,  LAND  OF.  The  name  given 
by  the  Nephites  to  that  country  which  we  call 
Judea.     (INephi,  2:11;  16:35.) 

JERUSALEM,  NEW.  The  city  spoken  of 
by  John,  in  the  Book  of  Revelations;  but  ages  be- 
fore his  time,  prophesied  of  by  Ether,  the  last  seer 
of  the  Jaredite  race.  (Ether,  13:3-10.)  Among 
other  things  Ether  foretells  that  this  blessed  city 
shall  be  built  upon  the  American  continent.  Jesus, 
in  his  teachings  to  the  Nephites,  confirms  the  truth 
of  this  prophecy  (III  Nephi,  20  :  22 ;  21 :  23,  24). 

JESSE,  ROOT  OF.  The  prophecy  of  Isaiah 
regarding  the  root  of  Jesse  is  quoted  by  Nephi  (II 
Nephi,  21:1-10). 

JESUS  CHRIST.     Prophecies  regarding 

HIS    ADVENT,   LIFE,   MINISTRY    AND    DEATH.      One  of 

the  most  remarkable  things  connedled  with  the 
history  of  the  Nephites  is  the  great  plainness  and 


175  Jesus  Christ. 

detail  with  which  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer  and 
the  events  of  His  life  in  Judea  were  revealed  to 
their  prophets,  who  lived  before  the  time  of  His 
advent.  Among  other  things  connedled  with  His 
mortal  existence  it  was  declared  of  Him  that : 

God  Himself  should  come  down  from  heaven 
among  the  children  of  men  and  should  redeem  His 
people. 

He  should  take  upon  Him  flesh  and  blood. 

He  should  be  born  in  the  land  of  Jerusalem,  the 
name  given  by  the  Nephites  to  the  land  of  their 
forefathers,  whence  they  came. 

His  mother's  name  should  be  Mary. 

She  should  be  a  virgin  of  the  city  of  Nazareth; 
very  fair  and  beautiful,  a  precious  and  chosen 
vessel . 

She  should  be  overshadowed  and  conceive  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

He  should  be  called  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God. 

At  His  birth  a  new  star  should  appear  in  the 
heavens. 

He  should  be  baptized  by  John  at  Bethabara, 
beyond  Jordan. 

John  should  testify  that  he  had  baptized  the 
Lamb  of  God,  who  should  take  away  the  sins  of 
the  world. 

After  His  baptism,  the  Holy  Ghost  should 
come  down  upon  Him  out  of  heaven,  and  abide 
upon  Him  in  the  form  of  a  dove. 

He  should  call  twelve  men  as  His  special  wit- 
nesses, to  minister  in  His  name. 

He  should  go  forth  among  the  people,  minister- 
ing in  power  and  great  glory,  casting  out  devils, 
healing  the  sick,  raising  the  dead,  and  performing 
many  mighty  miracles. 

He  should  take  upon  Him  the  infirmities  of 
His  people. 

He  should  suffer  temptation,  pain  of  body, 
hunger,   thirst  and    fatigue;  blood   should    come 


Jesus  Christ.  176 

from  every  pore  of  His  body  by  reason  of  His  an- 
guish because  of  the  abominations  of  His  people. 

He  should  be  cast  out  and  rejedled  by  the  Jews; 
be  taken  and  scourged,  and  be  judged  of  the 
world. 

He  should  be  lifted  upon  the  cross  and  slain  for 
the  sins  of  the  world. 

He  should  be  buried  in  a  sepulchre,  where  He 
should  remain  three  days. 

After  He  was  slain  He  should  rise  from  the 
dead  and  should  make  Himself  manifest  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  unto  the  Gentiles. 

He  should  lay  down  His  life  according  to  the 
flesh  and  take  it  up  again  by  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  that  he  might  bring  to  pass  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  being  the  first  that  should  rise. 

At  His  resurredlion  many  graves  should  be 
opened  and  should  yield  up  their  dead  ;  and  many 
of  the  saints,  who  had  beforetime  passed  away, 
should  appear  unto  the  living. 

He  should  redeem  all  mankind  who  would  be- 
lieve on  His  name. 

In  the  above  we  have  not  mentioned  the  say- 
ings of  Isaiah  and  other  Jewish  prophets,  which 
are  inserted  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  but  which 
also  appear  in  the  Bible, 

Visits  of  Jesus  before  his  advent.  On 
this  continent,  as  on  the  eastern,  Jesus  mani- 
fested Himself  from  time  to  time  to  His  faith- 
ful servants,  before  His  coming  in  the  flesh.  He 
was  the  guide  of  His  people,  the  guardian  of  the 
church,  and  the  revealer  of  the  mind  and  will  of 
the  Godhead.  He  went  before  the  people  of  Jared 
in  their  journey,  instrudling  them  and  covenanting 
with  them.  Few  events  recorded  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  are  more  widely  know^n  than  His  ap- 
pearance in  the  body  of  His  spirit  to  the  brother 
of  Jared.  His  statements  with  regard  to 
Himself  then  were:  "I  am  he  who  was  prepared 
from    the  foundation  of  the  world  to  redeem  my 


177  Jesus  Christ. 

people.  Behold,  I  am  Jesus  Christ,  *  *  and  even 
as  I  appear  unto  thee  to  be  in  the  spirit,  will  I  ap- 
pear unto  my  people  in  the  flesh." 

In  later  centuries,  when  making  known  the 
Divine  will  to  the  elder  Alma  regarding  the  disci- 
pline of  His  church,  He  declares:  '*It  is  I  that 
taketh  upon  me  the  sins  of  the  world ;  for  it  is  I 
that  hath  created  them  ;  and  it  is  I  that  granteth 
unto  him  that  believeth  unto  the  end,  a  place  at 
my  right  hand." 

Not  only  were  the  Nephites  very  familiar  with 
the  details  of  the  earthly  life  of  the  Redeemer,  but 
they  also  were  made  acquainted  by  their  prophets, 
from  Lehi  to  Samuel  the  Lamanite,  with  the  fadl 
that  after  his  resurredlion  He  would  visit  them. 
This  was  shown  in  a  vision  to  Nephi  (I  Nephi,  12 : 
6),  and  he  taught  it  to  his  people;  (H  Nephi,  26 : 
1,  9).  And  it  so  continued  to  be  taught  by  the 
priesthood  throughout  all  their  generations.  (Al- 
ma, 16:  20.) 

The  time  of  his  birth  at  Bethlehem  was  also 
declared  by  the  prophets  with  great  exadlness. 
Nephi  states  that  it  should  be  600  years  from  the 
time  his  father,  Lehi,  left  Jerusalem,  and  this  proph- 
ecy was  known  to  all  his  descendants  See  I 
Nephi,  10 :  4;  19 :  8 ;  II  Nephi,  25  :  19.  We  quote 
the  last:  For  according  to  the  words  of  the 
prophets,  the  Messiah  cometh  in  six  hundred  years 
from  the  time  that  my  father  left  Jerusalem,  and 
according  to  the  words  of  the  prophets,  and 
also  the  word  of  the  angel  of  God  His  name 
shall  be  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God. 

In  the  year  B.  C.  6,  Samuel,  the  Lamanite, 
prophesied  that  on  this  continent,  at  the  time  of 
the  Savior's  birth,  there  should  appear  great 
lights  in  the  heavens,  so  that  there  should  be  a 
day,  a  night  and  another  day  without  darkness  ; 
a  new  star  should  arise,  and  many  signs  and 
wonders  should  be  seen  in  the  heavens.  Again,  at 
the  time  of  thfe  Redeemer's  death,  the  sun  should  be 


Jesus  Christ.  178 

darkened  and  refuse  to  give  his  light  and  also  the 
moon  and  stars ;  and  there  should  be  no  light 
upon  the  face  of  this  land,  from  the  time  He  died 
to  the  time  that  he  arose  again  from  the  dead.  At 
His  death  there  should  be  mighty  thunderings  and 
lightnings  for  many  hours,  and  the  earth  should 
shake  and  tremble,  and  the  rocks  which  are  upon 
its  face  should  be  broken  up ;  and  there  should  be 
great  tempests,  and  manj'  mountains  should  be 
laid  low,  and  valleys  should  become  mountains  of 
great  height,  and  many  cities  should  become  deso- 
late. And  many  graves  should  yield  up  their  dead  ; 
and  many  saints  should  appear  unto  the  living.  • 

Signs  of  His  Birth.  When  six  hundred 
years  had  passed  from  the  time  Lehi  left  Jerusalem, 
the  time  arrived  of  which  Samuel,  the  Lamanite, 
and  other  prophets  had  borne  testimony,  when  the 
phenomena  should  appear  to  bear  witness  of  the 
birth  of  the  Son  of  God.  As  the  day  drew  near, 
signs  and  miracles  increased  among  the  people. 
But  the  hardened  in  heart  began  to  circulate  the 
idea  that  the  time  had  passed  and  the  prophecies 
had  failed.  They  even  went  so  far  as  to  appoint  a 
day  when  all  who  believed  in  the  coming  of  the  Sa- 
vior should  be  slain,  except  the  sign  be  first  given. 

This  gross  wickedness  caused  Nephi,  the  high 
priest,  great  sorrow.  Before  God,  in  mighty 
prayer,  he  bowed  all  the  day  long.  At  last  the 
comforting  word  of  the  Anointed  One  came  un- 
to him,  saying:  On  this  night  shall  the  sign  be 
given,  and  on  the  morrow  come  I  into  the  world, 
to  show  unto  the  world  that  I  will  fulfil  all  that 
which  I  have  caused  to  be  spoken  by  the  mouths  of 
my  holy  prophets.  As  was  thus  declared,  so  was 
it  fulfilled.  At  the  going  down  of  Che  sun  it  was 
as  light  as  da^^  and  so  continued  until  the  morn- 
ing, when  the  sun  again  rose  in  its  usual  course. 
A  new  star  had  also  appeared  in  the  heavens. 
Then  the  faithful  rejoiced.  They  knew  that  their 
Redeemer  was  born,  and  that  the  great  plan  of 


179  Jesus  Christ. 

Salvation  had  entered  its  most  glorious  phase; 
but  the  wicked  quaked  with  awful  dread,  they 
realized  the  extent  of  their  iniquity,  they  knew 
that  they  were  murderers  at  heart,  for  they  had 
plotted  to  take  the  lives  of  the  righteous,  and  in 
the  terror  that  this  overwhelming  sense  of  their 
piteous  condition  wrought,  they  sank  to  the 
earth  as  though  they  were  dead. 

Many  now  believed  who,  previously,  had 
scorned  the  divine  messages  that  the  prophets 
bore;  but  others,  inspired  of  Satan,  as  soon  as 
they  recovered  from  the  fright  which  the  appear- 
ance of  the  promised  signs  had  produced,  began 
to  explain  them  away,  and,  by  various  lying 
rumors,  endeavored  to  nullify  the  good  that  had 
been  done  in  the  hearts  of  many.  Others  again 
commenced  to  teach  that  it  was  no  longer  ex- 
pedient to  observe  the  law  of  Moses,  or  to  offer 
sacrifices,  not  comprehending  that  the  infinite 
sacrifice  had  not  yet  been  made. 

Signs  of  the  Death  of  Christ.  On  the 
fourth  day  of  the  thirty-fourth  Nephite  year  after 
Christ's  birth,  the  promised  signs  of  the  Savior's 
crucifixion  began.  A  terrible  and  devastating 
tempest  burst  upon  the  land.  The  earth  quivered 
and  groaned  and  opened  in  wide,  unfathomable 
chasms.  Mountains  were  riven  and  swallowed  up 
in  yawning  gulfs,  or  were  scattered  into  frag- 
ments and  dispersed  like  hail  before  the  tearing 
wind.  Towers,  temples,  houses,  were  torn  up, 
scattered  in  fragments  or  crushed  by  falling  rocks, 
and,  together  with  their  inmates,  were  ground  to 
dust  in  the  convulsion.  Blue  and  yellow  flames 
burst  from  the  edges  of  sinking  rocks,  blazed  for 
a  moment  and  then  all  was  the  deepest  darkness. 
Rain  poured  down  in  torrents;  cloud-bursts, 
like  floods,  washed  awaj'  all  with  which  they 
came  |in  contadl,  and  pillars  of  steaming  vapor 
seemed  to  unite  the  earth  and  sky.  This  un- 
paralleled   storm  rage  dthroughout  the  land  for 


Jesus  Christ.  180 

three  hours  only,  but  during  its  short  continuance 
the  whole  face  of  Nature  was  changed.  Mount- 
ains sank,  valleys  rose,  the  sea  swept  over  the 
plains,  large  stagnant  lakes  usurped  the  place  of 
flourishing  cities,  great  chasms,  rents  and  preci- 
pices disfigured  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Three  days  of  unnatural  and  impenetrable 
darkness  followed  the  horrors  of  the  tempest,  and 
from  the  heavens  the  voice  of  the  Lord  was  heard 
by  the  affrighted  people,  proclaiming  in  their  terri- 
fied ears  the  destruction  that  had  taken  place. 

Terrible  was  the  catalogue  of  woes  which  that 
heavenly  voice  rehearsed.  Nearly  all  their  cities, 
great  and  small,  were  destroyed  by  flood  or  fire, 
by  earthquake  or  hurricane.  The  desolation  was 
complete,  the  face  of  the  land  was  changed,  tens  of 
thousands,  probably  millions,  of  souls  had  been 
suddenly  called  to  meet  the  reward  of  their  sinful 
lives;  for  this  destrudlion  came  upon  them  that 
their  wickedness  and  abominations  might  be  hid 
from  the  face  of  heaven,  and  that  the  blood  of  the 
prophets  and  saints  might  not  come  up  any  more 
in  appeal  unto  God  against  them. 

When  the  heavenly  voice  had  finished  the  re- 
cital of  the  calamities  that  had  befallen  the  land 
and  its  inhabitants,  the  Speaker  appealed  to  those 
who  yet  lived  to  repent  of  their  sins  and  return 
unto  Him,  and  they  should  have  eternal  life,  and 
revealed  to  them  who  He  was.  He  declared  unto 
them : 

I  am  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God.  I  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  all  things  that  in 
them  are.  1  was  with  the  Father  from  the  begin- 
ning. I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me ; 
and  in  me  hath  the  Father  glorified  His  name. 

I  came  unto  my  own,  and  my  own  received 
me  not.  And  the  Scriptures  concerning  my  com- 
ing are  fulfilled. 

And  as  many  as  have  received  me,  to  them 
have  I  given  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  and  even 


181  Jesus  Christ. 

so  will  I  to  as  many  as  shall  believe  on  my  name, 
for  behold,  by  me  redemption  cometh,  and  in  me 
is  the  law  of  Moses  fulfilled. 

I  am  the  light  and  the  life  of  the  world.  I  am 
Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end. 

After  the  people  had  heard  this  glad  message 
they  ceased  their  mourning  for  their  dead  rela- 
tives, and  there  was  silence  in  the  land  for  the 
space  of  many  hours.  Then  again  was  the  voice  of 
Jesus  heard,  recounting  how  often  He  had  sought 
to  gather  His  Israel,  but  they  would  not,  and 
promising  in  the  future  that  He  would  again 
gather  them,  if  they  would  listen  unto  Him.  But 
if  they  would  not  heed  Him,  the  places  of  their 
dwellings  should  become  desolate  until  the  time 
of  the  fulfilling  of  God's  covenant  with  their 
fathers.  When  the  people  heard  this  awful  proph- 
ecy they  began  to  weep  and  howl  again,  because 
of  the  loss  of  their  kindred  and  friends. 

As  on  the  eastern  continent,  so  on  this ;  at 
the  time  of  Christ's  resurredlion,  numbers  of  the 
saints  who  were  dead  arose  from  their  graves  and 
were  seen  and  known  by  many  of  the  living. 

Three  days  had  passed  in  darkness,  in  terror 
and  in  woe,  when  the  thick  mist  rolled  off  the 
face  of  the  land,  revealing  to  the  astonished  eyes 
of  the  survivors  how  great  had  been  the  convul- 
sions that  had  shaken  the  earth.  As  the  darkness 
passed  away  the  earth  ceased  to  tremble,  the  rocks 
were  no  longer  rent,  and  the  tumultuous  noises 
ended.  Nature  was  again  at  peace,  and  peace 
filled  the  hearts  of  the  living ;  their  mourning  was 
turned  to  praise,  and  their  joy  was  in  Christ  their 
Deliverer. 

Christ  Ministers  to  the  Nephites.  Some 
time  after  these  terrible  events,  exadlly  how  long 
we  know  not,  a  multitude  assembled  near  the 
temple,  which  was  in  the  land  Bountiful.  Possibly 
many  of  the  high  priesthood  had  assembled  there 
to  call  upon  the  Lord,   and  to    officiate  in    the 


Jesus  Christ.  182 

duties  of  their  calling.  The  multitude  spake  one 
to  another  with  regard  to  the  Savior,  of  whose 
death  the  three  dajs  of  unexampled,  impenetrable 
darkness  had  been  a  sign. 

While  thus  engaged >  a  strange,  sweet  voice  fell 
upon  their  ears,  yet  it  pierced  them  to  the  centre, 
so  that  their  whole  frames  trembled.  At  first  they 
knew  not  what  it  said  or  whence  it  came  ;  nor  even 
when  the  words  wxre  again  repeated  did  they 
understand.  But  when  they  came  a  third  time 
they  understood  their  glorious  import,  and  knew 
that  it  was  the  voice  of  God.  He  said  unto  them  : 
Behold,  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased,  in  whom  I  have  glorified  my  name:  hear 
ye  Him,  Obedient  to  this  heavenly  voice  they  cast 
their  eyes  upward,  and  to  their  joyous  astonish- 
ment beheld  the  Messiah,  clothed  in  a  white  robe, 
coming  out  of  heaven. 

Even  yet  they  did  not  comprehend  who  He 
was,  but  thought  Him  an  angel.  As  He  descended 
to  the  earth  and  stood  in  their  midst,  their  won- 
dering eyes  were  all  turned  towards  Him,  but  for 
awe  not  a  mouth  was  opened  or  a  limb  moved. 
Then  the  Redeemer  stretched  forth  His  hand  and 
said  unto  the  multitude :  Behold,  I  am  Jesus  Christ, 
whom  the  prophets  testified  should  come  into  the 
world ;  and  behold,  I  am  the  life  and  light  of  the 
world;  and  I  have  drunk  out  of  the  bitter  cup 
which  the  Father  hath  given  to  me,  and  have 
glorified  the  Father  in  taking  upon  me  the  sins  of 
the  world,  in  the  which  1  have  suffered  the  will  of 
the  Father  in  all  things  from  the  beginning. 

Then  the  whole  multitude  fell  to  the  earth, 
they  remembered  the  sayings  of  the  prophets;  they 
realized  that  their  God  stood  in  the  midst  of  them. 

Again  the  risen  Redeemer  spake:  Arise,  said 
He,  and  come  forth  unto  me,  that  you  may  thrust 
your  hands  into  my  side,  and  also  that  ye  may 
feel  the  prints  of  the  nails  in  my  hands  and  in  my 
feet,   that  ye  may  know  that  I  am  the  God  of 


183  Jesus  Christ. 

Israel,  and  the  God  of  the  whole  earth,  and  have 
been  slain  for  the  vsins  of  the  world. 

Now  they  who  heard  Him  from  the  first  to  the 
last  went  forth  and  assured  themselves  that  it 
was  He  of  whom  the  prophets  had  spoken.  Then 
with  shouts  of  praise  they  cried:  Hosanna!  blessed 
be  the  name  of  the  Most  High  God.  And  they  fell 
down  at  His  feet  and  worshiped  Him. 

Jesus  next  called  Nephi  to  Him,  then  eleven 
others,  and  gave  them  authority  to  baptize  the 
people,  at  the  same  time  stridlly  charging  them  as 
to  the  manner  in  which  they  should  perform  this 
ordinance,  that  all  disputes  on  this  point  might 
cease  among  the  believers.  (See  Twelve  Disciples.) 

After  Jesus  had  chosen  the  Twelve,  he  com- 
menced to  teach  the  people  the  principles  of  the 
fulness  of  the  Gospel.  Step  by  step  He  led  them 
over  the  same  precious  ground  of  universal  truth 
as  He  had  done  his  follow^ers  in  Galilee,  Judea  and 
Samaria.  Sometimes,  through  the  difference  of  the 
inspired  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  and 
the  worldly-wise  one  of  the  Bible,  a  slight  differ- 
ence is  noticeable  in  the  wording  of  the  instruc- 
tions, but  as  a  rule  these  differences  are  trivial,  the 
advantage  being  with  the  Nephites,  whose  greater 
faith  drew  from  the  Savior  deeper  truths  than 
Judah  had  received,  or  caused  Him  to  display 
greater  manifestations  of  His  omnipotence  and 
boundless  love.  From  the  believers  He  would  turn 
to  the  Twelve,  and  give  them  special  instructions 
as  His  ministers ;  then  again  He  would  shed  forth 
His  words  of  mercy,  truth  and  divine  wisdom 
upon  the  multitude;  and  by  and  by  again  address 
the  disciples.  So  He  continued  day  by  day  until 
all  was  revealed,  either  to  the  multitude  or  to  the 
Twelve,  that  was  necessary  for  the  eternal  salva- 
tion of  the  obedient.  Then  He  left  them  to  the  care 
and  ministry  of  the  chosen  Disciples. 

Some  have  wondered  why  Jesus  should  have 
given  so  many  of  the  same  teachings  to  the  Ne- 


Jesus  Christ.  184 

phites  as  He  did  to  the  Jews.  The  reason  is  that 
those  teachings  were  perfedl,  and  could  not  be  im- 
proved. They  were  universal,  that  is,  they  were 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  all  peoples,  whether  of 
Israel  or  of  the  Gentiles,  whether  of  Judah  or  Jo- 
seph. Among  the  teachings  that  He  gave  the 
Nephites  which  do  not  appear  in  the  Bible  account 
of  His  ministrations  to  the  Jews,  are  His  references 
to  the  ''Lost  Ten  Tribes,"  His  explanations  of  the 
prophecies  of  Isaiah  and  Malachi,  His  statements 
regarding  the  then  future  history  of  the  peoples  on 
this  continent,  particularly  drawing  attention  to 
those  events  that  would  concern  and  be  connedled 
with  the  remnants  of  the  house  of  Lehi ;  and  His 
declarations  regarding  the  name  by  which  His 
Church  should  be  known. 

The  miracles  that  attended  His  ministry  on 
this  land  were,  many  of  them,  of  the  same  charac- 
/ter  as  the  wondrous  works  He  performed  among 
the  Jews;   only  frequently    more  marvelous  and 

'  more  glorious,  on  account  of  the  greater  faith  of 
the  Nephites.  He  healed  the  sick,  cast  out  devils, 
raised  the  dead  in  Bountiful  as  he  did  in  Judea  and 
Galilee.  But  there  were  other  manifestations  that 
were  somewhat  different.  In  the  land  of  Jerusa- 
lem Jesus  miraculously  fed  five  thousand  by  in- 
creasing the  store  of  loaves  and  fishes  that  had 
been  provided ;  in  Bountiful  he  administered  the 
emblems  of  His  bod\'  and  blood  when  neither  the 
disciples  nor  the  multitude  had  brought  either 
bread  or  wine.  Angels  ministered  to  men  during 
His  labors  among  the  Jews ;  they  did  so  more 
abundantly  during  his  visits  to  the  Nephites. 
Again,  though  we  are  told  in  the  Bible  of  the  Holy 
Redeemer  blessing  little  children,  we  nowhere  read 
therein  of  the  glorious  manifestations,  the  out- 
pourings of  the  Spirit,  the  ministry  of  the  angels, 
the  baptism  of  fire  that  took  place  when  the  risen 

j  Redeemer  condescended  to  bless  the  little  ones  of 
the  Nephites. 


John.  185  Jonas. 

Names  and  Titles  given  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Among  the  names  and  titles  given  to  Christ 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  are :  Mediator,  Messiah, 
Redeemer,  Shepherd,  Great  and  True  Shepherd, 
Lamb,  Lamb  of  God,  Son  of  Righteousness,  Son 
of  the  Eternal  Father,  Only  Begotten  of  the 
Father,  Creator,  The  Eternal  Father  of  Heaven 
and  Earth,  King,  King  of  Heaven,  Heavenly  King, 
King  of  all  the  Earth,  God  of  Israel,  God  of  the 
w^hole  Earth,  Most  High  God,  Lord  Omnipotent, 
Lord  God  Omnipotent,  Mighty  God,  Holy  One, 
Holy  One  of  Israel,  Mighty  One  of  Jacob,  Won- 
derful Counsellor,  Prince  of  Peace,  and  several 
others. 

JOHN.  The  Apostle,  usually  called  John  the 
Revelator.  He  is  mentioned  by  name  three  times 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Twice  regarding  the 
things  revealed  to  him  ( I  Nephi,  14 :  27 ;  Ether,  4 : 
16);  and  once  regarding  his  request,  similar  to 
that  of  the  three  Nephites,  that  he  might  live  and 
minister  on  the  earth  until  Jesus  returned  (III 
Nephi,  28:  6). 

JOHN.  The  Baptist.  This  prophet  is  not 
mentioned  by  name  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  but 
that  he  would  baptize  the  Savior  is  foretold  by 
Lehi  and  Nephi  (I  Nephi,  10:  7-10:  11:  27;  II 
Nephi,  31:  4). 

JONAS.  The  name  of  Jonas,  the  son  of  Ne- 
phi the  Disciple,  and  himself  a  member  of  the 
Quorum  of  the  Twelve,  is  but  once  mentioned 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  then  only  in  the  list 
of  those  chosen  by  the  Messiah  to  form  that 
angust  body,  where  it  occupies  the  third  place, 
coming  next  after  Nephi  his  father,  and  Timothy 
his  uncle,  consequently  all  we  can  say  of  him  is 
inferential.  It  is  altogether  probable  that  by  fol- 
lowing the  virtuous  examples  of  his  eminent  fore- 
fathers, he  had  rendered  himself  worthy  of  the 
glorious  position  to  which  the  Savior  called  him, 
as  among  a  generation  who   were  all  righteous, 


Jonas.  186         Jordon,  City  of. 

we  cannot  imagine  that  Jesus  would  seledl  any 
but  the  most  worthy  and  illustrious  to  be  the 
teachers  of  the  whole  people  and  the  heads  of  the 
Church.  He  was  one  of  those  of  whom  it  was  di- 
rectly said  by  the  angel  to  Nephi  (the  son  of 
Lehi) :  "Behold  they  are  righteous  forever,  for  be- 
cause of  their  faith  in  the  Lamb  of  God,  their 
garments  are  made  white  in  His  blood." 

JONAS.  One  of  the  twelve  disciples,  called 
and  chosen  by  the  risen  Redeemer  to  minister  among 
the  Nephites.  He  is  the  second  of  that  name  found 
in  that  quorum,  the  other  being  the  son  of  Nephi. 
He  is  not  again  mentioned  by  name  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon.    (See  Twelve  Disciples.) 

JONEAM.  A  Nephite  general,  who  com- 
manded a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last 
great  struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  the 
Lamanites.  He,  with  all  his  command,  was  slain 
in  the  final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumorah 
(A.  C.  385),  when  the  Nephite  nation  was  anni- 
hilated. 

JOKDAIV.  The  Bible  river  of  that  name.  It 
is  mentioned  thrice  in  the  Book  of  Mormon :  once 
in  connedlion  with  the  occupation  of  Canaan  by 
the  Israelites  (I  Nephi,  17:  32);  once  in  Lehi's 
prophecy  concerning  the  labors  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist (I  Nephi,  10:  9);  and  in  an  extradl  from  the 
writings  of  Isaiah,  (II  Nephi,  19:  1). 

JOKDON,  CITY  OF.  A  city  mentioned  only 
in  connedlion  with  the  final  war  between  the 
Nephites  and  Lamanites ;  of  its  situation  we  can 
tell  nothing,  except  that  it  was  in  the  northern 
continent.  Here  the  Nephites,  under  Mormon, 
made  a  brave  stand  (A.  C.  379),  and  twice  de- 
feated the  attacking  hosts  of  the  Lamanites.  In 
the  third  attack,  however,  the  Nephites,  by  reason 
of  the  overwhelming  number  of  their  assailants, 
after  desperate  resistance  were  driven  from  the 
city  with  great  loss  (A.  C.  380).  Jordon  appears 
to  have  been  a  key  to  the  surrounding  country, 


Joseph.  187  Josh. 

and  was  consequently  stubbornly  held  by  Mor- 
mon. The  war  at  this  time  was  carried  on  with 
ruthless  cruelty  on  both  sides,  and  the  conquering 
army  ravaged  and  utterly  desolated  the  country 
through  which  it  passed. 

JOSEPH.  The  younger  son  of  Lehi  and 
Sariah,  bom  to  them  during  the  difficulties  and 
sorrows  of  their  journey  across  the  Arabian  Pen- 
insula (about  595  B.  C),  We  are  told  very  little  of 
his  life  or  chara(?ber,  but  he  appears  to  have  been 
an  upright  man  and  a  faithful  servant  of  the  Lord. 
At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  he  was  still  small, 
but  was  blessed  by  that  patriarch  with  the  rest  of 
the  family,  shortly  before  Lehi's  departure  from 
this  earth.  Joseph  with  his  elder  brother  Jacob, 
was  ordained  by  Nephi,  a  priest,  to  minister  to  the 
Nephites,  after  the  separation  of  that  people  from 
the  adherents  of  Laman.  Of  his  private  history 
or  death  w^e  are  told  nothing.  Jacob,  speaking 
of  himself  and  Joseph,  says  :  We  did  magnifx^  our 
office  [of  priests]  unto  the  Lord,  taking  upon  us  the 
responsibility,  answering  the  sins  of  the  people 
upon  our  own  heads,  if  we  did  not  teach  them  the 
word  of  God  with  all  diligence. 

JOSEPH.  The  son  of  the  patriarch  Jacob, 
and  the  ancestor  of  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites. 
Lehi  was  descended  from  his  son  Manasseh,  and 
Ishmael  from  Ephraim.  He  is  referred  to  with 
great  affecftion  by  a  number  of  the  Nephite  wor- 
thies, Lehi  quotes  (II  Nephi,  3,)  some  veiy  import- 
ant prophecies  of  Joseph,  which  do  not  appear 
in  the  Bible.  The  Nephites  are  frequently  called, 
by  their  teachers,  the  seed  or  house  of  Joseph. 

JOSEPHITES.  A  portion  of  the  Nephite 
race,  presumably  the  descendants  of  Joseph,  the 
younger  son  of  Lehi.  This  name  is  only  used  four 
times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

JOSH.  A  Nephite  general,  who  commanded  a 
corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last  great 
struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  the  Lamanites. 


Josh.  188  Judah. 

He,  with  all  his  command,  was  slain  in  the 
final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumorah.  (A.  C. 
485),   when  the  Nephite  nation   was  destroyed. 

JOSH.  One  of  the  iniquitous  cities  destroyed 
by  fire  from  heaven  at  the  time  of  the  crucifixion 
of  Christ,  because  of  the  wickedness  of  its  people 
in  casting  out  the  prophets  and  stoning  those 
whom  the  Lord  had  sent  to  declare  to  them  their 
sins  and  abominations.  The  Savior  announced 
the  terrible  fadl  that  there  was  not  one  righteous 
person  to  be  found  in  it,  therefore  He  had  de- 
stroyed it,  that  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  might 
not  cry  from  the  ground  to  Him  any  more  against 
those  who  had  slain  them.  (HINephi,  9:  10,  11.) 
Josh  is  only  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in 
connedlion  with  its  destruction. 

JOSHUA.  A  city  mentioned  only  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  great  closing  war  between  the  Neph- 
ites  and  Lamanites.  It  was  situated  near  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  either  in  the  extreme  northern  por- 
tion of  South  America  or  in  Central  America. 
Here  Mormon  endeavored  to  gather  his  forces  in 
one  vast  host  to  stay  the  advance  of  the  vi(?tori- 
ous  Lamanites ;  and  we  are  of  the  opinion  that  it 
was  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city  that  the  great  bat- 
tle between  Mormon  and  king  Aaron  was  fought 
in  A.  C.  330,  when  the  former  turned  the  tide  of 
vidlory  against  the  Lamanites.  (Mormon,  2:9.) 
The  city  of  David  appears  to  have  been  situated 
near  Joshua,  to  the  south, 
^yv^  JOTHAN.  The  tenth  king  of  Judah.  He  was 
.  aTcontemporSry  of  Isaiah,  and  his  name  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Book^efJ^^lormon  only  in  a  quotation  ^ 
from  the  writings  of  t  h  atprOphet;^^^^  Nep  hi  J  7 :  ,1 . ) 

JUDAH.  This  name  is  found  principally  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon  in  quotations  from  the  pro- 
phet Isaiah;  and  in  the  statement  of  the  fadl  that 
Lehi  left  Jerusalem  in  the  reign  of  Zedekiah,  king  /^ 
of  Judah.  In  two  places  it  refers  to  the  Jews,  as 
the  descendants  of  the  patriarch  Judah. 


Judea,  City  of.  189  Kib. 

JUDEA,  CITY  OF.  A  city  of  the  Nephites, 
situated  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  their 
dominions,  somewhere  between  the  Pacific  Ocean 
and  the  land  of  Manti.  It  is  only  mentioned  in 
Hclaman's  letter  to  Moroni,  giving  an  account  of 
the  military  operations  in  that  region  (B.  C.  66  to 
63).  In  the  first-named  year  it  was  garrisoned  by  a 
Nephite  force  of  about  6,000  men  under  Antipus; 
w^ho,  by  reason  of  their  reverses  and  the  severe 
labors  of  the  campaign,  were  depressed  in  mind  and 
body.  At  this  time  they  were  strengthened  by  the 
arrival  of  Helaman  with  2,000  young  Ammonites, 
who  found  the  soldiers  of  Antipus  v^orking  night 
and  day  in  the  effort  to  strenghten  the  fortifications 
of  the  city.  Unitedly  they  accomplished  this  pur- 
pose. In  the  second  month  of  the  next  year  (B.C. 
65),  2,000  more  men  arrived  from  Zarahemla,  and 
a  supply  of  provisions  from  the  fathers  of  the 
young  Ammonites.  In  this  year  the  campaign  oc- 
curred in  which  Antipus  was  slain,  and  the  young 
Ammonites  showed  such  exceeding  great  valor. 
After  this  campaign,  the  troops  which  took  part 
in  it  returned  to  Judea,  and  Helaman  appears  to 
have  taken  the  chief  command.  In  B.  C.  63,  rein- 
forcements, to  the  number  of  6060  men  arrived, 
with  provisions,  and  the  Nephites  felt  strong 
enough  to  carry  on  offensive  operations.  They 
apparently  still  made  Judea  their  headquarters, 
and  the  point  from  which  they  made  their  attacks. 
After  this  war  Judea  is  not  again  mentioned  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon. 

KIB.  The  second  king  of  the  Jaredites.  He 
w^as  the  son  of  Oribah,  and  grandson  of  Jared. 
He  was  born  in  his  father's  old  age,  and  succeeded 
him  on  the  throne.  Among  Kib's  sons  was  one 
named  Corihor,  who,  when  he  was  thirty-two 
years  old  rebelled  against  his  father  and  drew 
many  people  after  him.  He  first  established  him- 
self in  the  land  of  Nehor,  and  when  strong  enough 
came    against  Kib  in  the  land  of  Moron,  which 


Kim.  190  King-men. 

Moron  was  near  the  land  called  Desolation,  by 
the  Nephites.  Having  taken  his  father  prisoner, 
Corihor  held  him  in  captivity  for  many  years.  In 
his  old  age  Kib  begat  Shule,  who,  when  grown  to 
manhood,  overthrew  Corihor  and  replaced  his 
father  on  the  throne.  His  father  having  then  ar- 
rived at  an  exceedingly  great  age  resigned  the 
kingdom  to  Shule,  who  reigned  in  his  stead. 

KIM.  A  king  of  the  Jaredites.  He  was  the 
son  of  Morianton,  born  to  him  when  he  (Morian- 
ton)  was  very  aged. 

The  days  of  Morianton  were  among  the  most 
prosperous  that  the  Jaredites  saw ;  they  grew  ex- 
ceedingly rich  during  his  reign.  But  when  he  be- 
came very  aged  he  abdicated  in  favor  of  Kim,  who 
reigned  in  his  father's  place  for  eight  years  before 
the  latter  died.  Kim,  however,  did  not  reign  in 
righteousness,  and  by  his  wickedness  he  displeased 
the  Lord,  so  that  He  permitted  the  brother  of 
Kim  to  rebel  against  him,  dethrone  him  and  hold 
him  in  captivity  all  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Dur- 
ing his  captivity  he  begat  sons  and  daughters,  the 
only  one  whose  name  is  mentioned  is  Levi,  who 
was  born  to  him  in  his  old  age. 

KIMNOK.  One  of  the  early  Jaredites.  He 
is  simply  known  to  us  as  the  father  of  Akish,  the 
friend  of  king  Oiner. 

KlNGr-MEN.  The  name  given  by  the  Neph- 
ites to  those  who,  in  the  days  of  the  republic, 
desired  to  re-establish  the  monarchy.  The  first 
royalist  outbreak  was  led  by  one  Amllci,  in  the 
fifth  year  of  the  commonwealth,  and  cost  much 
blood  and  sorrow;  Amalickiah  was  another  prom- 
inent leader  of  those  who  wished  to  overturn  the 
government,  but  being  defeated  by  Moroni,  he 
fled  to  the  Lamanites,  and  by  treason  and  murder 
worked  himself  on  to  the  throne  of  that  people. 
His  followers  who  remained  within  the  borders  of 
the  Nephites  v^ere  compelled  to  enter  into  a  cove- 
nant to  support  the  republic,  or  ''the  cause  of  free- 


191  King-men. 

dom,"  or  be  put  to  death.  But  few  refused  to 
make  this  coveru ant.  (B.  C.  73.)  When  the  elder 
Pahoran  died  (B.  C.  68),  great  contentions  arose 
between  the  king-men  and  the  '*free-men."  The 
former  thought  this  an  opportune  time  to  re- 
establish the  royal  power.  They  desired  the 
new  chief  judge,  Pahoran,  the  younger,  to  amend 
the  laws,  so  that  this  end  might  be  accomplished. 
Pahoran  declined, considering  he  had  no  authority 
to  so  change  the  national  constitution.  At  the  de- 
mand of  the  royalists,  the  question  was  put  to 
the  popular  vote,  or  "to  the  voice  of  the  people." 
The  majority  voted  in  favor  of  the  continuance  of 
the  existing  form  of  government.  The  king-men, 
greatly  angered  at  the  result,  broke  out  in  open 
rebellion. 

At  this  critical  jun6lure,  Amalickiah  invaded 
the  Nephite  territory.  The  monarchists  refused  to 
assist  in  the  defense  of  the  fatherland.  At  his  own 
request,  full  power  was  given  to  Moroni,  the 
Nephite  commander-in-chief,  to  deal  with  them. 
He  was  made,  for  the  time  being,  military  didlator; 
he  occupied  a  position  nearly  analagous  to  the 
Pendragon  of  the  ancient  Britons.  Moroni  at- 
tacked the  malcontents  in  their  cities  and  forts, 
slew  about  4,000  of  them,  and  cast  into  prison 
those  who  would  not  take  up  arms  in  defense  of 
their  country.  This  outbreak,  which  was  led  by 
those  claiming  to  be  of  noble  birth,  resulted  dis- 
astrously for  the  Nephites ;  for  while  Moroni  was 
engaged  in  putting  it  down,  the  Lamanites  made 
rapid  advances  northward,  capturing  many  cities 
on  their  route.  (B.  C.  67.)  Four  years  later,  an- 
other royalist  uprising  took  place.  As  usual,  it 
commenced  at  the  capital,  and  for  a  time  was 
quite  successful.  Pahoran  was  driven  from  the 
judgment  seat  and  fled  to  the  land  of  Gideon, 
while  a  man  named  Pachus  was  made  king.  He 
opened  a  treasonable  correspondence  with  the 
Lamanites,  in  which  he  made  a  treaty  with  them, 


King-men.  192 

and  agreed  to  hold  the  city  of  Zarahemla  in  their 
mutual  interest,  which  he  supposed  would  so 
weaken  the  Nephites  as  to  enable  the  Lamanites 
to  conquer  the  remainder  of  the  land.  This  being 
accomplished,  he  would  be  made  king  of  the  Ne- 
phites. The  success  of  the  royalist  cause  was  of 
short  duration.  Moroni  and  Pahoran  united 
their  forces,  and  being  joined  by  thousands  of 
volunteers,  they  attacked  the  city  of  Zarahemla 
and  defeated  the  revolutionists.  In  this  battle 
Pachus  was  slain,  and  his  followers,  who  were 
captured,  w^ere  speedily  tried  for  treason,  as  were 
also  the  king-men  of  the  previous  abortive  revolt, 
who,  for  about  five  years,  had  been  lying  in  prison 
awaiting  trial.  Those  of  both  periods,  who 
would  not  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  their  country, 
but  would  fight  against  it,  were  executed  accord- 
ing to  law.    (B.C.  62.) 

In  later  years,  the  Gadianton  robbers,  when  it 
suited  their  purposes  to  obtain  power  and  plun- 
der, declared  in  favor  of  a  kingly  form  of  govern- 
ment, but  they  had  to  satisfy  themselves  by  eledl- 
ing  to  or  otherwise  placing  on  the  judgment  seat 
men  of  their  own  order,  which  amounted  to 
much  the  same  thing,  as  it  placed  the  reins 
of  government  in  their  hands.  In  A.  C.  30,  the 
final  attempt  to  restore  the  monarchy  was  made. 
As  usual,  petty  place-men,  and  those  claiming  to  be 
of  higher  birth,  were  the  instigators  and  lead- 
ers of  this  disastrous  uprising.  The  chief  spirit 
of  the  revolution  was  a  demagogue  named  Jacob. 
He  was  the  one  they  chose  for  king.  The  outbreak 
resulted  in  the  assassination  of  the  last  chief  judge, 
Lachoneus  the  younger,  and  the  breaking  up  of 
the  nation.  A  kingdom  was  not  established,  but 
the  people  separated  into  numerous  tribes,  each 
with  its  independent  ruler  or  chief.  Disorgan- 
ization, degradation  and  partial  anarchy  fol- 
lowed, crime  and  sin  abounded,  and  bloody  and 
wide-extended    wars  would    doubtless  have    fol- 


Kish.  193  Kishkumen. 

lowed,  had  not  the  greater  portion  of  the  more 
wicked  been  slain  in  the  convulsions  that  attended 
the  crucifixion  of  the  Redeemer.  King  Jacob,  finding 
his  plots  had  miscarried,  hurried  his  followers  to 
the  far  north,  where  they  built  a  city,  called/aco6- 
ugath.  During  its  short  existence  it  became  a 
head  centre  of  depravity  and  cruel  licentiousness, 
and  was  destroyed  with  its  sister  cities  in  the 
general  upheaval  at  Christ's  death. 

KISH.  A  king  of  the  Jaredites.  He  was  the 
son  of  Corum,  and  succeeded  his  father  on  the 
throne.  Nothing  is  said  in  the  Book  of  Ether 
about  his  charadler,  the  events  of  his  reign,  or 
the  length  of  his  life.  All  we  are  told  of  him  is 
that  he  reigned  in  the  place  of  his  father  and  that, 
when  he  died,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Lib, 

KISHKUMEN.  An  assassin,  and  a  leading 
man  among  the  Gadianton  robbers  at  the  time  of 
the  organization  of  their  marauding  bands.  In 
the  year  B.  C.  52,  Pahoran,  the  chief  judge  of  the 
Nephite  commonwealth,  died,  which  event  gave 
rise  to  serious  contentions  among  the  Nephite  peo- 
ple. Three  of  his  sons,  named  Pahoran,  Pacumeni 
and  Paanchi,  were  ambitious  to  fill  the  exalted 
position  left  vacant  by  their  father's  death.  Each 
had  his  adherents  and  following,  but,  according  to 
the  national  law,  the  matter  was  decided  by  the 
voice  of  the  people,  and  Pahoran  was  chosen. 

Pacumeni  assented  to  the  decision  of  the 
citizens,  but  Paanchi  attempted  to  raise  a  rebellion, 
for  which  crime  he  was  arrested,  tried  by  the  law 
and  condemned  to  death.  Still,  the  more  wicked 
part  of  the  community  supported  his  unlawful 
claims.  These  determined  to  kill  Pahoran,  which 
resolve  they  carried  into  effedl,  and  the  chief  judge 
was  slain  by  Kishkumen.  This  foul  murder  was 
committed  while  the  chief  magistrate  was  sitting 
in  the  judgment  seat  administering  the  law,  but, 
through  the  connivance  of  the  murderer's  associ- 
ates in  iniquity,  he  escaped.    Pacumeni,  Pahoran's 


Kishkumen,  City  of.    194 

brother,  was  next  eledled  chief  judge,  but  he  was 
slain  in  war  with  the  Lamanites  the  following 
year.  In  B.  C.  50,  Helaman,  the  son  of  Helaman, 
was  chosen  to  fill  the  judgment  seat.  Being  a 
righteous  man,  his  election  was  very  distasteful  to 
the  Gadianton  robbers.  They  determined  to  slay 
him,  as  they  had  slain  Pahoran,  and  the  same  vile 
instrument  was  chosen  to  do  the  murderous  work. 

As  Kishkumen  was  on  his  way  to  fulfil  his 
bloody  errand,  a  servant  of  Helaman,  whose 
name  is  not  recorded,  met  him  and  gave  him  one 
of  the  secret  signs  of  the  Gadiantons.  This  ad- 
mitted him  into  the  confidence  of  the  assassin, 
w^ho  explained  his  purpose,  and  asked  to  be  con- 
dudled  into  the  judgment  hall,  where  Helaman 
was  then  sitting  in  the  performance  of  his  duties. 
This  was  agreed  upon;  the  two  proceeded  to 
where  the  murderer  expedled  to  find  his  vi<?tim. 
The  strategy  of  the  attendant  disarmed  Kishku- 
men's  suspicions.  At  an  opportune  moment  the 
servant  stabbed  him,  and  so  adroitly  did  he  per- 
form his  work,  that  the  robber  fell  dead  without  a 
groan.  The  servant  immediately  ran  to  the  judg- 
ment hall,  and  informed  Helaman  of  all  that  he 
had  heard,  seen  and  done.  Without  delay,  orders 
were  issued  for  the  arrest  of  the  band,  but  its 
members,  finding  that  Kishkumen  did  not  return, 
fled  precipitately  into  the  wilderness,  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  officers. 

KISHKUMEN,  CITY  OF.  One  of  the  in- 
iquitous cities  which  the  Lord,  at  the  time  of  His 
crucifixion,  caused  to  be  burned  with  fire  from 
heaven,  with  its  inhabitants,  because  of  their 
wickedness  in  casting  out  the  prophets  and  ston- 
ing those  whom  He  sent  to  proclaim  their  sinful- 
ness and  abominations.  So  depraved  were  its 
people  that  the  Lord  declares  that  there  were 
none  righteous  among  them,  and  that  He  de- 
stroyed them  that  the  blood  of  the  prophets  and 
saints  whom  He  had  sent,  and  they  had  slain, 


195  Korihor. 

might  no  longer  cry  unto  Him  from  the  ground 
against  them.  Kishkumen  is  mentioned  only  in 
connection  with  its  destrudlion. 

KORIHOR.  An  anti-Christ,  who  appeared 
among  the  Nephites  B.  C.  75.  He  taught  many 
of  the  heresies  of  Nehor,  prominent  among  which 
were  the  denial  of  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer 
and  of  the  efficacy  of  His  atonement.  His  doc- 
trine was  that  every  man  fared  in  this  life  accord- 
ing to  his  management,  prospered  according  to 
his  shrewdness,  and  conquered  according  to  his 
strength.  He  proclaimed  that  whatsoever  a  man 
did  was  no  crime,  for  when  a  man  was  dead  there 
was  an  end  thereof. 

As  a  missionary  Korihor  was,  for  a  short 
time,  a  success.  We  first  hear  of  him  preaching 
his  Satanic  dodlrines  in  the  land  of  Zarahemla, 
and,  as  he  claimed  to  fully  believe  all  he  taught, 
the  law  could  not  touch  him,  as  full  religious 
liberty  was  guaranteed  under  the  constitution 
and  laws  of  the  Nephite  commonwealth.  From 
Zarahemla  he  went  to  the  land  of  Jershon,  to 
inoculate  the  Ammonites  with  his  soul-destroying 
vagaries.  But  they  were  a  wiser  and  more  zealous 
people  for  the  gospel  than  were  many  of  the 
Nephites.  They  took  him,  bound  him,  and 
carried  him  before  Ammon,  their  high  priest.  He 
diredled  that  Korihor  should  be  removed  beyond 
the  border  of  their  land,  which  command  having 
been  obeyed,  we  next  find  the  unabashed  impostor 
laboring  among  the  people  of  the  land  of  Gideon. 
There  he  also  met  with  rebuffs.  He  was  arrested 
by  the  people  and  taken  before  the  chief  officers  in 
that  land.  They  found  they  could  do  nothing 
that  would  be  satisfadlory  with  him,  so  they  re- 
manded him  into  the  custody  of  ^  the  proper 
officers  with  instrudlions  to  carry  him  before 
Alma  and  Nephihah,  in  Zarahemla.  When  brought 
before  these  worthies  —  the  highest  dignitaries  of 
the  church  and  state  —  Korihor  continued  in  his 


Korihor  196 

course  of  loud-mouthed  blasphemy,  defiant  as- 
sumption, and  wilful  falsehood.  He  argued 
against  the  existence  of  the  Father,  and  the  com- 
ing of  His  Only  Begotten.  Alma  accused  him  of 
arguing  against  his  convidlions,  but  this  he  stoutly 
denied,  and  clamored  for  a  sign  to  be  given,  as  he 
pretended,  that  he  might  be  convinced.  Alma,  at 
length,  wearied  by  his  impious  importunities,  told 
him  that  God,  as  a  sign,  would  smite  him  dumb. 
This  terrible  warning,  though  it  caused  the  pre- 
tender some  uneasiness,  only  resulted  in  an  at- 
tempt at  prevarication.  He  said :  I  do  not  deny 
the  existence  of  a  God,  but  I  do  not  believe  there 
is  a  God;  and  I  say  also,  that  ye  do  not  know 
that  there  is  a  God ;  and  except  ye  show  me  a  sign 
I  will  not  believe.  Then  Alma  answered:  This 
will  I  give  unto  thee  for  a  sign,  that  thou  shalt  be 
struck  dumb,  according  to  my  words ;  and  I  say 
that,  in  the  name  of  God,  ye  shall  be  struck  dumb, 
that  ye  shall  no  more  have  utterance. 

Korihor  received  his  sign :  Alma's  words  were 
fulfilled;  the  sign-seeker  never  more  spoke  on 
earth.  When  the  hand  of  the  Lord  fell  on  him  he 
recanted.  By  writing,  as  he  could  not  speak,  he 
confessed  the  power  of  God,  and  acknowledged 
that  he  had  been  led  astray  by  Satan,  who  had 
come  to  him  in  the  form  of  an  angel  of  light.  He 
begged  that  the  curse  might  be  removed,  but 
Alma,  well  knowing  the  baseness  of  his  heart, 
refused  to  intercede  before  heaven  in  his  behalf,  lest 
when  restored  to  speech  he  would  again  strive  to 
deceive  the  people. 

A  proclamation  was  next  sent  throughout  all 
the  land.  In  it  the  chief  judge  recited  what  had 
happened  to  Korihor,  and  called  upon  those  who 
had  belie ve(i  in  his  words  to  speedily  repent,  lest 
the  same  judgments  should  come  upon  them. 
This  proclamation  put  an  end  to  the  iniquity  of 
Korihor,  for  his  followers  were  all  brought  back 
again  to  the  truth.    But  Korihor,  deserted  by  the 


Kumen.  197  Laban. 

devil,  a  vagabond  and  a  beggar,  still  continued  to 
beg  his  way  from  town  to  town,  from  house  to 
house,  until  one  day,  in  a  city  of  the  Zoramites, 
he  was  run  over  and  trodden  down.  The  injuries 
that  he  received  at  this  time  were  so  great  that  he 
soon  after  died. 

KUMEN.  One  of  the  twelve  Disciples  called 
and  chosen  by  Jesus  to  minister  to  the  Nephites, 
at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  that  people  (A.  C.  34). 
Kumen  was  present  near  the  temple  in  the  land 
Bountiful  when  Jesus  appeared,  and  was  baptized 
by  Nephi  on  the  day  following.  He  is  not  again 
mentioned  by  name  in  the  sacred  record. 

KUMENONHI.  One  of  the  twelve  Disciples 
called  and  chosen  by  Jesus  to  minister  to  the 
Nephites,  at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  that  people 
(A.  C.  34).  Kumenonhi  was  present  near  the 
templein  the  land  Bountiful,  when  Jesus  appeared, 
and  was  baptized  by  Nephi  on  the  day  following. 
He  is  not  again  mentioned  by  name  in  the  sacred 
record. 

JLABAN.  A  rich,  unscrupulous  and  power- 
ful Israelite  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  though  a 
dweller  in  Jerusalem  (B.  C.  600).  While  Lehi 
and  his  little  company  were  resting  in  the  valley 
of  Lemuel,  that  patriarch  was  commanded  of  the 
Lord  to  send  his  sons  back  to  Jerusalem  to  obtain 
certain  records  that  were  in  the  possession  of 
Laban.  The  records,  which  were  engraven  on 
plates  of  brass,  being  intimately  associated  with 
Lehi's  ancestors,  were  highly  necessary  for  the 
welfare  of  his  descendants  when  they  established 
themselves  in  a  new  home,  far  from  communica- 
tion with  any  other  people. 

When  the  elder  sons  of  Lehi  were  informed  of 
the  Lord's  wishes,  they  entered  many  objcdlions 
to  returning  to  Jerusalem.  They  claimed  to  be 
afraid  of  Laban,  who  was  a  man  of  considerable 
^influence,  having  much  wealth  and  many  servants 
at  his  command.  It  was  not  until  Nephi  had  plead 


Laban.  198 

with  them  that  they  would  consent  to  go. 
Though  young,  he  had  learned  an  exceedingly 
valuable  lesson,  that  the  Lord  does  not  require 
His  children  to  do  impossible  things,  but  that 
when  He  gives  them  a  command  He  opens  up  the 
way  for  them  to  accomplish  His  requirements. 
Nephi  felt  a;t  this  time  that  if  the  Lord  desired 
that  they  should  have  the  records,  then  in  the  pos- 
session of  Laban,  He  would  control  circumstances 
in  such  a  way  that  they  could  obtain  them. 

The  young  men  accordingly  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem. When  they  reached  the  holy  city,  it  was 
decided  that  Laman,  being  the  eldest,  should 
first  go  to  Laban  and  endeavor  to  obtain  the 
records.  Laman  had  no  faith  in  his  mission 
and,  consequently,  was  unsuccessful.  He  was 
much  abused  by  Laban  for  asking  for  the  records, 
and  returned  to  his  brothers  feeling  very  down- 
hearted. The  young  men  then  decided  that  they 
would  endeavor  to  purchase  the  records  from 
Laban,  so  they  went  to  their  father's  house,  and 
gathered  up  some  of  the  valuables  that  they 
had  left  therein  when  they  deserted  their  home 
for  the  journey  into  the  wilderness.  Taking  these 
precious  things  to  Laban,  they  offered  them  to 
him  in  exchange  for  the  plates.  He,  seeing  how 
great  was  the  value  of  the  property  offered  him, 
desired  to  obtain  it  without  giving  up  the 
records  in  return.  He,  therefore,  with  the  aid 
of  his  servants,  drove  the  young  men  from  his 
house  and  sent  his  retainers  to  slay  them,  but 
he  did  not  permit  them  to  carry  back  the  valu- 
ables they  had  brought.  These  he  kept  for 
himself. 

After  this  second  unsuccessful  effort,  Laman 
and  Lemuel  were  very  angry,  and  they  w^ent  so 
far  as  to  beat  their  younger  brothers,  Sam  and 
Nephi,  with  a  rod.  While  doing  so,  an  angel 
appeared  before  them  and  upbraided  them  for 
their  evil  conduct.    This  rebuke  for  a  time  quieted 


199  Laban. 

them,  but  the  effedls  of  this  heaven W  visitation 
were  short  Hved. 

Lam  an  and  Lemuel  were  now  very  anxious 
to  return  to  the  wilderness,  but  Nephi  would 
not  consent.  He  was  determined  that,  by  the 
help  of  the  Lord,  he  would  not  go  back  with- 
out the  records.  Accordingly,  he  resolved  to  make 
the  next  attempt  himself;  so  when  night  came, 
he  walked  towards  the  city,  being  followed  at 
some  distance  by  his  brothers.  They  do  not 
appear  to  have  had  the  courage  to  enter  the 
gates,  but  stood  without  the  walls,  while  Nephi 
entered  the  city,  not  knowing  exadlly  where 
he  should  go,  or  what  he  should  do,  being  led 
by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  within  him.  As  he 
approached  the  house  of  Laban,  he  perceived 
a  man  lying  on  the  ground  in  a  drunken  stupor. 
A  brief  examination  showed  him  that  the  man 
was  Laban.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  diredled 
Nephi  to  slay  Laban,  for  he  was  a  robber  and, 
at  heart,  a  murderer.  He  had  robbed  the  sons 
of  Lehi  of  the  property  they  had  taken  to  him 
in  their  effort  to  exchange  it  for  the  records,  and 
had  afterwards  sought  their  lives.  But,  though 
fully  justified,  Nephi  shrank  from  taking  the  life 
of  a  fellow  being.  Never  before  had  he  shed 
human  blood.  But  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  whis- 
pered to  him  it  was  better  that  one  man  should 
be  slain  than  that  a  whole  people  should  perish 
in  ignorance.  If  Lehi's  company  and  their  des- 
cendants should  go  to  the  new  land,  which 
would  afterwards  be  their  home,  without  any 
account  of  the  dealings  of  God  with  their  fore- 
fathers, the  mighty  works  He  had  done  for  their 
preservation,  and  the  laws  which  He  had  given 
that  they  might  please  Him,  they  would  gradually 
grow  in  darkness  in  all  these  respects,  and  by 
and  by  lose  sight  of  their  Creator,  and  become  a 
wicked,  degraded  and  unbelieving  people. 

Nerved  by  this  monition,  Nephi  drew  Laban 's 


Liachoneus,  the  elder.  200 

sword  from  its  scabbard,  and  cut  off  his  head. 
He  then  quickly  disrobed  the  body  and  placed 
the  dead  man's  armor  on  his  own  person.  Thus 
attired,  he  entered  the  house  of  Laban,  and,  it 
being  dark,  it  was  not  easy  to  recognize  him. 
Assuming  the  voice  of  Laban,  he  called  to  a 
servant  named  Zoram,  who  had  the  keys  of 
the  treasury,  and  told  him  to  bring  the  plates 
which  he  needed.  Zoratn,  deceived  by  the  voice 
and  the  armor  of  his  master,  at  once  obeyed. 

LACHONEUS,  THE  ELDER.  One  of 
the  greatest  prophets  and  judges  of  the  Nephites. 
We  are  not  informed  when  he  was  eledled  to  the 
judgment  seat,  but  we  are  told  that  he  occupied 
it  at  the  time  of  the  Redeemer's  birth  in  Bethlehem. 
His  reign  was  a  long  and  troublous  one;  it  was 
one  of  continued  warfare  with  the  Gadianton 
bands,  who,  year  by  year,  grew  in  numbers  and 
increased  in  audacity.  The  forces  of  both  Nephites 
and  Lamanites  were  unable  to  cope  with  them, 
and  their  leader,  Giddianhi,  had  the  effrontery  to 
write  an  epistle  to  Lachoneus  (A.  C.  16),  asserting 
the  powers  of  the  robbers,  their  undoubted  ability 
to  conquer  all  opposed  to  them,  and  suggesting 
that  the  people  whom  Lachoneus  judged  should 
surrender  and  affiliate  with  them,  and  become 
like  them.  This  arrogant  proposition  was  indig- 
nantly rejecfted.     (See  III  Nephi,  chap.  3.) 

So  great  was  the  misery  entailed  by  the  inva- 
sions of  the  robbers,  that  Lachoneus  at  last 
determined  to  gather  all  the  people  into  one  place, 
and  by  a  policy  of  masterly  inacftivity  wear  out 
or  starve  out  the  invaders.  We  can  scarcely  under- 
stand how  terrible  must  have  been  the  misery 
endured  by  the  nation  at  this  time,  to  cause 
the  conception  and  execution  of  such  a  measure. 
Can  we  pidlure  to  ourselves  the  scenes  that  must 
have  occurred  as  the  people  of  two  continents  con- 
verged into  one  gathering  place?  From  the  shores 
of  the  great  lakes  in  the  north,  from  the  stormy 


201  Lachoneus,  the  elder. 

Atlantic  seaboard,  from  the  coast  where  the  mild 
Pacific  ebbs  and  flows,  from  the  regions  of  the  south- 
em  Andes,  the  migrating  hosts  flowed  together  to 
Zarahemla  and  Bountiful,  the  lands  seledled  as  the 
temporary  gathering  place.  They  came  with  their 
flocks  and  herds,  their  grain  and  provisions,  leav- 
ing nothing  that  would  help  to  sustain  the  robber 
bands  while  they  continued  to  wage  their  unhal- 
lowed war.     (A.  C.  17.) 

When  the  people  reached  the  gathering  place 
they  fortified  it  so  strongly  that  it  became  im- 
pregnable to  their  enemies.  Under  the  instrudlions 
of  Gidgiddoni,  the  Nephite  commander-in-chief, 
they  also  made  themselves  strong  armor  and 
shields,  as  well  as  all  kinds  of  weapons,  so  that 
they  might  be  fully  prepared  for  the  day  of  battle. 
Lachonetis,  in  the  meantime,  preached  to  them  in 
great  pow^er,  so  much  so  that  they  feared  his  de- 
nunciations, forsook  all  their  sins,  and  turned  to 
the  Lord  in  great  humility  and  devotion.  The 
result  was  that  when  the  robbers  came  against 
them,  the  attacking  force  was  driven  back  with 
great  slaughter. 

Game  soon  became  so  scarce  in  the  wilderness 
that  the  Gadiantons  began  to  suffer  for  food  while 
besieging  the  Nephite  stronghold.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  Nephites  made  frequent  attacks  upon 
them.  Seeing  his  armies  wasting  away  through 
famine  and  the  sword,  Zemnarihah,  their  com- 
mander, gave  up  all  hope  of  success,  withdrew 
from  the  siege,  and  formed  the  design  of  marching 
his  followers  to  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  land 
northward. 

To  permit  the  Gadianton  robbers  to  escape 
v^ould  have  increased  the  difficulties  under  which 
the  Nephites  had  so  long  suffered.  Gidgiddoni, 
having  learned  of  their  purpose,  and  knowing 
their  weakness  for  want  of  food  and  because  of 
the  great  slaughter  made  among  them  through 
the  successful  attacks  of  his  own  troops,  sent  his 


202  Lachoneus. 

armies  to  cut  off  their  retreat.  During  the  night 
they  got  beyond  the  robbers,  who,  when  they 
began  their  march  on  the  morrow,  found  them- 
selves between  the  armies  of  the  Nephites.  Many 
thousands  surrendered,  and  the  remainder  were 
slain.  Zemnarihah  w^as  taken  and  hanged  to  the 
top  of  a  tree;  which,  when  he  was  dead,  the 
Nephites  cut  down.  They  then  greatly  rejoiced 
and  praised  God  for  His  mercies  and  blessings  in 
delivering  them ;  but  it  was  not  until  live  years 
later  (A.  C.  26),  that  the  Nephites  returned  to  and 
possessed  their  old  homes. 

The  next  year  (A.C.  27),  the  laws  were  revised 
according  to  justice  and  equity.  They  had,  doubt- 
less, been  greatly  tampered  with  during  the  times 
that  the  Gadianton  robbers  held  control  of  the 
administration  and  eledled  the  officers.  Good 
order  now  prevailed  throughout  the  whole  land. 
Soon  new  cities  were  founded  and  built,  and  many 
improvements  made.  Yet  for  all  this,  the  peace 
was  short  lived.  Iniquity  and  dissension  soon 
began  to  again  raise  their  hideous  heads,  and  the 
prophets  and  servants  of  God  were  persecuted  and 
illegally  condemned  to  death. 

We  are  not  informed  when  Lachoneus  died, 
but  in  A.  C.  30,  another  Lachoneus,  probably  his 
son,  filled  the  judgment  seat. 

LACHONEUS,  THE  YOUNGER.  The 
last  of  the  Nephite  judges,  probably  the  son  of  the 
preceding  judge  who  bore  the  same  name.  He  was 
assassinated  in  the  year  30  A.  C. 

It  is  not  entirely  certain  from  the  sacred  record 
when  Lachoneus,  the  younger,  assumed  the  reins 
of  government,  but  the  idea  seems  to  be  conveyed 
that  it  was  in  the  year  30  A.  C.  His  dominion  fell 
in  perilous  times.  The  people  had  ripened  in  ini- 
quity and  were  ready  for  destruction.  The  proph- 
ets of  God  who  raised  their  warning  voices  were 
slain  by  unjust  judges  and  unscrupulous  officers, 
and  the  laws  were  perverted  and  trampled  under 


Laish.  203  Laman: 

foot.  When  these  corrupt  rulers  were  called  to  ac- 
count by  the  supreme  authority  at  the  capital,  they 
set  the  laws  at  defiance,  refused  to  answer,  broke 
out  in  open  rebellion,  endeavored  to  establish  a 
monarchy,  and  assassinated  the  chief  judge. 

LAISH.  A  place  in  Palestine,  probably  the 
small  village,  Laishah,  lying  between  Gallim  and 
Anathoth.  It  is  only  mentioned  once  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon  ( II  Nephi,  20:  30),  in  a  quotation 
from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah. 

LAMAH,  A  Nephite  general  who  com- 
manded a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last 
great  struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  the 
Lamanites.  He,  with  all  his  command,  was  slain 
in  the  final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cu- 
morah,  (A.  C.  385),  when  the  Nephite  nation 
was  annihilated. 

LAMAN.  The  eldest  son  of  Lehi  and  Sariah. 
From  the  fadl  that  his  father  dwelt  in  Jerusa- 
lem all  his  days,  it  is  presumable  that  Laman 
was  bom  in  that  famed  city  and  during  the 
reign  of  king  Josiah.  Laman  was  a  stubborn, 
wilful,  unbelieving  and  desperate  man.  He  had 
no  faith  in  the  revelations  given  to  his  father, 
and  was  the  leader  in  all  the  troubles  and  con- 
tentions in  the  wilderness,  going  so  far  as  to 
propose  the  murder  of  his  brother  Nephi,  and 
also  of  his  father.  Placing  no  credence  in  the 
prophecies  that  Jerusalem  would  be  destroyed, 
he  unwillingly  left  that  city,  and  as  unwillingly 
journeyed  in  the  wilderness,  every  difficulty,  every 
hardship  enountered  by  the  party  being  a  fresh 
pretext  for  murmurs  against  God  and  his  father, 
and  for  renewed  assaults  upon  Nephi.  Giving 
wa\^  to  this  spirit  of  rebellion  and  cruelty,  he 
grew  more  hardened  as  he  advanced  in  years. 
One  of  his  great  complaints  was  that  Nephi 
had  usurped  the  position  properly  belonging  to 
his  elder  brothers,  as  the  active  leader  of  the 
company,    though    Lehi  was  recognized  as   their 


Laman.  204 

head  as  long  as  he  Hved,  and  the  Lord  appears 
to  have  so  honored  him.  Laman  and  Lemuel 
were  not  unaware  that  God  had  chosen  Nephi 
for  the  position  he  occupied ;  they  well  knew 
that  the  expedition  under  their  guidance  would 
be  a  failure,  as  their  desires  were  continually  to 
return  to  Judea,  and  that,  therefore,  they  would 
be  most  unsuitable  to  carry  the  purposes  of 
their  father  to  a  successful  issue.  Laman,  with 
his  brothers,  returned  twice  to  Jerusalem,  the 
first  time  to  obtain  the  plates  of  brass  from 
Laban,  the  second  time  to  bring  Ishmael  and 
his  family. 

Soon  after  their  return  this  second  time, 
Laman  married  one  of  the  daughters  of  Ishmael, 
and  from  this  marriage  appears  to  have  sprung 
the  royal  house  of  the  Lamanites,  and  the  leading 
spirits  of  that  race,  until  the  times  when  Nephite 
apostates  gained  the  supremacy  in  the  Laman- 
ite  nation  and  became  the  kings,  rulers,  com- 
manders and  teachers  of  that  people.  For  details  of 
the  journey  in  the  Arabian  wilderness  and  across 
the  ocean,  see  Nephi,  Lehi.  Laman  lived  to  wit- 
ness the  death  of  his  father,  and  no  sooner  had 
this  occurred  than  he  entered  into  a  conspiracy 
with  those  who  sympathized  with  him  to  kill 
Nephi  and  take  charge  of  the  colony.  So  embit- 
tered was  their  hate,  so  determined  their  purpose, 
that  Nephi's  friends  deemed  it  advisable  to  sepa- 
rate; and  this  left  Laman  and  his  followers  to  the 
quiet  possession  of  the  first  home  of  the  race  on 
the  land  of  promise.  Those  who  remained  with 
Laman  were  his  own  family,  Lemuel  and  his  fam- 
ily, and  the  sons  of  Ishmael  and  their  families.  If 
there  were  any  others  they  are  not  mentioned.  No 
sooner  had  the  division  taken  place  than  the  La- 
manites began  to  sink  into  barbarism.  The  noma- 
dic habits  which  they  had  acquired  in  their  wan- 
derings in  the  wilderness  remained  with  them  and 
dominated  their  lives;  they  were  shut  out  from  the 


205  Laman. 

presence  of  God,  as  they  were  left  without  the 
priesthood  when  Nephi  withdrew;  the  other  party 
had  also  the  possession  of  the  records,  which  in 
itself  was  regarded  as  a  great  grievance  by  the 
children  of  Laman.  In  the  next  generation,  when 
those  who  were  familiar  -with  the  civilization  of 
the  Jews  had  passed  away,  their  descent  became 
more  rapid,  and  we  read  of  them  as  a  cruel,  de- 
graded, dark-skinned  race,  living  by  the  chase, 
feeding  on  raw  meat,  idle  and  ignorant  and  exceed- 
ingly loathsome  in  their  habits. 

LAMAN.  The  king  of  the  Lamanites,  who 
entered  into  a  treaty  with  Zeniff  and  ceded  to  him 
the  cities  of  Lehi-Nephi,  and  Shilom,  and  the  land 
around  about.  (About  B.  C.  200.)  KingLaman's 
intention  in  making  this  concession  vsras  to  get 
Zeniif  s  small  colony  into  his  power  and  bring  them 
into  bondage.  After  the  Nephi tes  had  dwelt  in  the 
land  for  about  twelve  years,  Laman  grew  uneasy 
at  their  increase,  and  began  to  stir  up  his  peo- 
ple to  hostilities.  The  result  of  which  was  that  in 
the  thirteenth  year  the  Lamanites  made  an  attack 
upon  the  Nephite  farmers  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  land  of  Shilom,  drove  them  off,  captured  their 
flocks  and  carried  oif  the  com  from  their  fields. 
Those  who  escaped  fled  into  the  city  of  Lehi-Nephi 
for  safety.  Zeniff  armed  his  people,  advanced 
against  the  Lamanite  marauders,  and  after  a 
severe  battle,  lasting  a  day  and  a  night,  forced 
them  back  to  their  own  lands.  In  this  battle 
3,043  Lamanites  and  279  Nephites  were  slain. 
After  this,  by  the  wise  precautions  taken  by  ZenifF 
to  defend  his  people,  there  was  continual  peace  in 
the  land  for  twenty-two  years.  About  this  time 
king  Laman  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son. 
(About  B.  C.  160.) 

LAMAN.  A  king  of  the  Lamanites,  appar- 
ently the  son  of  the  last  named,  though  it  is  possi- 
ble he  was  his  grandson.  His  father's  name  is  said 
to  have  been  the  same  as  his  own.     Presuming 


Laman.  206 

him  to  have  been  the  son  of  the  monarch  who 
made  the  treaty  with  Zeniff,  he  came  to  the  throne 
about  B.  C.  160,  and  immediately  commenced  war 
with  the  Nephites  in  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi.  As 
long  as  Zeniff  lived  the  Lamanites  were  unsuccess- 
ful, and  were  driven  back  to  their  own  possessions 
with  great  slaughter ;  but  when  the  weak  and  cor- 
rupt Noah  reigned  in  the  place  of  his  father,  they 
became  more  successful.  Their  first  invasion  in 
Noah's  reign  was,  however,  unsuccessful,  but  after 
his  people  had  slain  the  prophet  Abinadi,  the  Lord 
used  the  Lamanites  to  scourge  them  for  their 
iniquities.  The  hosts  of  this  people  came  upon 
Lehi-Nephi  from  the  borders  of  Shemlon.  Noah 
ordered  a  precipitate  retreat  into  the  wilderness ; 
but  being  incumbered  with  women  and  children, 
the  Lamanites  overtook  them.  The  coward  king 
commanded  that  the  women  and  children  should 
be  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  invaders,  and  that  the 
men  continue  their  flight.  Some  obej-ed  but  many 
refused.  Those  who  remained  with  their  families 
caused  their  women  to  plead  with  the  Lamanites 
for  their  lives.  Then  the  latter,  charmed  with  the 
beauty  of  the  Nephite  women,  had  compassion  on 
them,  spared  their  lives,  but  held  the  Nephites  in 
tribute — one-half  of  all  they  possessed  was  the 
amount  of  the  Lamanite  exadlion.  Laman  set 
guards  around  the  land  of  Nephi,  to  prevent  the 
escape  of  any  of  the  Nephites ;  their  tribute  was 
too  valuable  to  the  indolent  Lamanites  to  per- 
mit of  its  decrease  or  stoppage.  In  this  condition 
things  remained  for  two  years. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  romantic  spot  in  the 
land  of  Shemlon,  where  the  Lamanitish  maidens 
where  in  the  habit  of  gathering  on  pleasure  bent. 
Here  they  sang,  danced  and  made  merry  with 
all  the  gaiety  of  youthful  innocence  and  overflow- 
ing spirits.  One  day,  when  a  few  were  thus  gath- 
ered, they  were  suddenly  surprised,  and  twenty- 
four  of  their  number  were  carried  off  by  strange 


207  Laman. 

men,  who,  from  their  appearance,  were  unmistak- 
ably Nephites. 

On  learning  of  this  adl  of  treachery  the  Laman- 
ites  were  stirred  to  uncontrollable  anger, and  with- 
out seeking  an  explanation  they  made  a  sudden 
incursion  into  the  territory  held  by  king  Limhi. 
This  attack,  however,  was  not  successful,  for  their 
movements,  though  not  understood,  had  been  dis- 
covered, and  their  intended  vicftims  poured  forth 
to  meet  them. 

With  Limhi  and  his  people  it  was  a  war  for 
existence:  to  be  defeated  was  to  be  annihilated;  his 
warriors  therefore  fought  with  superhuman  energy 
and  desperation,  and  eventually  they  succeeded  in 
driving  the  Lamanites  back.  So  speedy  did  the 
flight  become,  that  in  their  confusion  the  Laman- 
ites left  their  wounded  king  lying  among  the 
heaps  of  slain.  There  he  was  discovered  by  the 
vidlors.  In  the  interview  between  him  and  Limhi 
that  followed,  mutual  explanations  ensued.  The 
Lamanite  king  complained  bitterly  of  the  outrage 
committed  on  the  daughters  of  his  people,  while 
Limhi  protested  that  he  and  his  subjects  were  in- 
nocent of  the  base  a(ft.  Further  investigation 
developed  the  fadl  that  some  of  the  iniquitous 
priests  of  king  Noah,  who  had  fled  into  the  wilder- 
ness from  the  dreaded  vengeance  of  their  abused 
countrymen,  at  the  time  that  monarch  was  killed, 
were  the  guilty  parties.  Being  without  wives,  and 
fearing  to  return  home,  they  had  adopted  this  plan 
to  obtain  them. 

On  hearing  this  explanation,  king  Laman  con- 
sented to  make  an  efibrt  to  pacify  his  angry  hosts. 
At  the  head  of  an  unarmed  body  of  Nephites  he 
went  forth  and  met  his  armies  who  were  returning 
to  the  attack.  He  explained  what  he  had  learned, 
and  the  Lamanites,  possibly  somewhat  ashamed 
of  their  rashness,  renewed  the  covenant  of  peace. 

This  peace,  unfortunately,  was  of  short  dura- 
tion.    The  Lamanites  grew  arrogant  and  griev- 


Laman.  208 

ously  oppressive,  and  under  their  exadlions  and 
cruelty  the  condition  of  Limhi's  subjecfhs  grew  con- 
tinually worse,  until  they  were  little  better  off 
than  were  their  ancestors  in  Egypt  before  Moses 
their  deliverer  arose.  Three  times  they  broke  out  in 
ineftecftual  rebellion,  and  just  as  often  their  task- 
masters grew  more  cruel  and  exadling,  until  their 
spirits  were  entirely  broken ;  they  cowered  before 
their  oppressors,  and  bowed  "to  the  yoke  of  bond- 
age, submitting  themselves  to  be  smitten,  and  to 
be  driven  to  and  fro,  and  burdened  according  to 
the  desires  of  their  enemies." 

In  process  of  time  the  Lord  softened  the 
hearts  of  the  Lamanites,  so  that  they  began 
to  ease  the  burdens  of  their  slaves,  but  He  did  not 
deliver  the  Nephites  out  of  bondage  at  once.  They, 
however,  gradualh^  prospered,  and  raised  more 
grain,  flocks  and  herds,  so  that  they  did  not  suffer 
with  hunger.  And  in  the  Lord's  due  time  they 
escaped  from  their  Lamanite  oppressors  and  in 
safety  reached  the  land  of  Zarahemla. 

Great  was  the  excitement  among  the  subjects 
of  Laman  when  they  found  their  Nephite  vassals 
had  disappeared.  An  army  was  immediately  sent 
in  pursuit.  It  followed  the  fugitives  for  some  dis- 
tance, but  did  not  overtake  them,  and  lost 
itself  in  the  wilderness.  In  their  wanderings  the 
Lamanite  troops  found  the  priests  of  Noah  and 
their  Lamanitish  wives,  and  later  they  came 
across  the  people  of  Alma  in  the  land  of  Helam. 
The  Lamanites  extended  their  suzerainty  over 
both  these  peoples,  and  king  Laman  appointed 
Amnion,  the  leader  of  the  priests  of  Noah,  the 
local  ruler. 

Atnulon  and  the  priests,  possibly  because  of 
their  Lamanitish  wives,  soon  gained  great  favor 
with  king  Laman  and  were  made  teachers  to  his 
people.  Educated  in  the  language  of  the  Nephites, 
they  began  to  instrucft  the  Lamanites  therein. 
They    taught     the     Lamanites    nothing    of  the 


209  Laman. 

religion  of  their  Israelitish  fathers,  or  of  the  law  of 
Moses,  but  instrudled  them  how  to  keep  their 
records,  and  to  write  one  to  another.  Laman 
now  ruled  over  a  numerous  people,  inhabiting  dis- 
tant regions,  governed  by  tributary  kings  and 
rulers.  Having  no  written  standard,  the  language 
of  the  Lamanites  had  become  greatly  corrupted. 
The  coming  of  the  priests  of  Noah  among  them 
gave  rise  to  the  introdudlion  of  a  higher  civiliza- 
tion. As  a  result,  they  increased  in  wealth,  and 
trade  and  commerce  extended  among  them.  They 
became  cunning  and  wise,  and  therefore  powerful, 
but  were  still  addi(fted  to  robbery  and  plunder, 
except  among  themselves. 

LAMAK.  Originally  a  servant  of  the  king  of 
the  Lamanites,  who  was  slain  by  the  cunning  and 
deceit  of  Amalickiah  (B.  C.  73).  When  the  royal 
cortege  issued  from  the  city  of  Nephi  to  wel- 
come the  supposedly  vicftorious  general  and  his 
army,  Laman  accompanied  his  master.  When 
that  master  was  treacherously  slain,  and  the  cry 
was  adroitly  raised  that  his  own  retainers 
had  committed  the  atrocious  deed,  Laman  with 
the  rest  of  the  servants  fled.  We  next  find 
him  (B.C.  63)  in  the  service  of  the  Nephites,  and 
engaged  in  the  army  of  Moroni,  most  probably  as 
an  inferior  officer.  At  the  time  that  Moroni  deter- 
mined to  release  the  Nephite  prisoners  held  by  the 
Lamanites  in  the  city  of  Gid,  Laman,  on  account 
of  his  nationality,  was  chosen  to  carry  out  the 
details  of  the  stratagem  by  which  Moroni  hoped 
to  deliver  his  fellow  countrymen.  He  was  placed 
in  command  of  a  small  body  of  troops,  loaded 
with  wine,  and  sent  out  at  evening  towards  the 
place  where  the  Nephites  were  held  captive. 
When  the  guards  over  the  prisoners  saw^  him 
approaching,  they  hailed  him.  He  told  them 
that  he  was  a  Lamanite,  and  that  he  and  his 
companions  had  just  escaped  from  the  Nephites, 
but  luckily  they  had  been  able  to  secrete  some 


Laman,  City  of.  210 

wine  and  bring  it  with  them.  The  Lamanites  at 
once  became  exceedingly  anxious  to  get  hold  of 
the  booty,  and  enthusiastically  welcomed  Laman. 
He,  very  cunningly,  pretended  that  he  wished 
to  preserve  the  wine  until  the  day  of  battle, 
but  the  more  he  protested  the  more  anxious  the 
soldiery  became  to  drink  it.  This  was  exadlly 
what  he  wished,  and  at  last,  with  well  feigned 
reludlance,  he  handed  over  the  coveted  liquor. 
It  had  been  purposely  made  verj^  strong  and 
sweet,  and  when  the  Lamanites  found  it  was 
so  palatable  they  drank  copiously.  Deep  sleep  fol- 
lowed. Now  was  the  hour  of  adlion.  Laman 
returned  to  Moroni  and  reported  his  success. 
The  Nephite  general  had  everything  prepared; 
while  the  guard  were  yet  in  their  deep  drunken 
stu^jor,  he  hastened  to  the  city,  as  noiselessly 
as  possible  he  conveyed  over  its  walls  sufficient 
weapons  to  arm  all  the  prisoners,  even  to  the 
women  and  the  children  who  were  old  enough 
to  use  them.  When  the  guards  awoke  from  their 
drunken  sleep  they  found  themselves  surrounded 
by  the  armies  of  Moroni  without,  and  the  pris- 
oners armed  and  marshaled  within.  Deeming 
discretion  the  better  part  of  valor,  their  officers 
surrendered  and  the  new  prisoners  were  set  to 
work  increasing  the  strength  of  the  fortifica- 
tions of  Gid,  while  the  released  Nephite  warriors 
joined  the  forces  of  Moroni,  to  whom  they  were 
a  great  help. 

LAMAN,  CITY  OF.  One  of  the  iniquitous 
cities  destroyed  by  the  Lord,  with  fire  from  heaven, 
at  the  time  of  the  mighty  convulsions  which, 
on  this  continent,  marked  the  hour  of  the  Sa- 
vior's death.  From  the  names  of  the  cities  as- 
sociated with  it — Josh,  Gad  and  Kishkumen  — 
we  are  led  to  think  that  it  was  a  city  origin- 
ally built  by  the  Lamanites  or  Gadianton  Rob- 
bers. Of  its  location  and  history  the  record 
is    silent,    except    we    are    told    that    its    crime- 


Laman,  River.  211  Lamoni. 

stained  people  reje(?ted,  cast  out  and  slew  the 
prophets  and  saints  of  God  who  were  sent 
among  them. 

LAMAN,  RIVER.  A  small  Arabian  river 
w^hich  emptied  into  the  upper  waters  of  the  Red 
Sea.  When  Lehi  and  his  little  colony  had  travel- 
ed for  three  days  in  the  wilderness  which  bor- 
dered on  the  Red  Sea,  they  reached  a  pleasant 
valley  through  which  this  stream  flowed,  and 
Lehi  gave  to  it  the  name  of  Laman,  in  honor 
of  his  eldest  son.  In  the  valley  the  company 
rested  for  some  time;  and  it  was  during  their 
sojourn  here  that  Nephi  and  his  brothers  twice 
returned  to  Jerusalem  —  once  for  the  plates  of 
brass,  and  once  for  Ishmael  and  his  family.  When, 
by  the  Lord's  command,  Lehi's  part}^  continued 
their  journey,  they  crossed  the  river  Laman  and 
proceeded  southward. 

LAMANITES,  THE.  The  people  who,  in 
connection  wath  their  kindred,  the  Nephites,  occu- 
pied the  American  continent  from  about  B.C.  590 
to  A.  C.  385,  in  which  latter  year  they  destroyed 
the  Nephites  and  remained  possessors  of  the 
entire  land.  The  American  Indians  are  their 
degraded  descendants.  These  people  were  of 
Hebrew  origin,  being  members  of  the  half  tribe 
of  Manasseh,  and  are  called  Lamanites,  from  La- 
man, the  eldest  son  of  Lehi,  who  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  the  events  that  led  to  their  separation 
from  the  Nephites  and  their  formation  as  a  dis- 
tin(?t  people.  Original^,  the  Lamanites  were  the 
children  of  Laman,  Lemuel,  and  some  of  the 
family  of  Ishmael;  but  as  the  centuries  passed 
there  were  many  defedlions  in  both  nations,  when 
the  dissatisfied  would  join  the  opposing  race  and 
affiliate  and  intermix  with  them,  so  that  the  two 
names  at  last  became  more  an  indication  of 
religion  and  civilization  than  of  birth. 

LAMONI.  The  Lamanite  king  of  the  land 
of  Ishmael.   He  was  the  first  of  his  race  converted 


Lauram.  212 

to  Christianity  by  the  sons  of  Mosiah.  At  the 
time  of  their  coming  (B.  C.  91),  he  reigned  under 
the  supreme  authority  of  his  father,  who  was 
monarch  of  all  the  Lamanites.  Lamoni  appears 
to  have  ruled  with  severity,  if  not  with  cruelty, 
and  his  adlion  in  executing  any  of  the  servants 
having  charge  of  his  herds  who  permit  Led  the 
royal  cattle  to  be  stolen,  undoubtedly  excited  a 
spirit  of  discontent  among  his  subjedls.  After  his 
conversion  his  character  appears  to  have  entirely 
changed,  and  he  became  gentle,  loving,  patient  and 
humble.  The  details  of  this  conversion  are  given 
under  the  head  of  Ammon.  After  his  change  of 
heart  he  became  the  protedlor  and  chief  pillar  of 
the  Church,  which,  through  his  zealous  assistance, 
was  established  in  the  land  of  Ishmael.  He 
accompanied  Ammon  to  the  land  Middoni,  and  by 
his  influence  with  Antiomno,  the  king  of  that 
region,  he  succeeded  in  releasing  Aaron  and  the 
other  Nephite  missionaries,  who  had  been  held  ia 
prison  there  and  so  barbarously  treated.  (B.  C. 
86?  )  In  later  years,  when  the  anger  of  the 
Nephite  apostates  and  unconverted  Lamanites  was 
raging  against  the  new-born  disciples,  Lamoni  was 
trusted  as  a  wise  counselor,  and  the  missionaries 
and  others  visited  Ishmael  to  advise  with  him  re- 
garding the  best  course  to  pursue  to  prote(?t  the 
lives  of  the  unoffending  people  of  Anti-Lehi-Nephi. 
(B.  C.  82.)  After  this,  we  read  no  more  of  Lamoni, 
and  we  have  no  means  of  telling  if  he  suffered 
martyrdom  when  so  many  of  his  fellow  converts 
w^ere  slain,  or  whether  he  lived  to  accompany  the 
fugitives  who  forsook  their  homes,  threw  them- 
selves on  the  magnanimity  of  the  Nephites,  and 
found  a  resting  place  in  Jershon. 

LAURAM.  A  Nephite  oflicer  under  Mormon, 
killed  in  battle  with  the  Lamanites.  He  is  only 
mentioned  in  the  second  epistle  of  Mormon  to  his 
son  Moroni,  and  there  simply  referred  to  as  hav- 
ing, with  many  other  choice  men,  been  slain  in  a 


Lebanon.  213  Lehi. 

disastrous  battle  with  the  enemy.  The  facft  of 
his  name  being  mentioned  infers  that  he  was  an 
officer  of  distinction. 

LEBANON.     The  Mount  Lebanon    of    the 
Bible.     It  is  mentioned  four  times  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon,   always  in    quotations  from  the    writ-  ^ 
ings  of  Isaiah. 

LEHI.  A  Hebrew  prophet,  of  the  tribe 
of  Manasseh,  whom  the  Lord  called  to  warn  the 
Jews  of  their  coming  captivity  in  Babylon.  Lehi 
was  a  man  of  considerable  means,  and  of  good 
repute  among  the  Jews.  He  had  dwelt  in  Jerusa- 
lem all  his  life,  though,  from  the  influence  that  the 
language  of  the  Egyptians  appears  to  have  had  on* 
him,  it  is  not  improbable  that  he  was  brought,  in 
some  way,  in  intimate  contaft  with  that  people. 
In  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Zedekiah,  king  of 
Judah  (B.  C.  600),  the  Lord  gave  Lehi  a  num- 
ber of  prophetic  dreams  and  visions,  and,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  admonitions  of  those  manifesta- 
tions, he  went  forth  among  the  Jews  proclaiming 
the  sorrows  that  would  inevitably  be  theirs  if  they 
did  not  repent  and  return  to  the  Lord.  But  the 
Jews  treated  Lehi  just  as  they  were  treating  all 
the  rest  of  the  prophets  who  came  to  them.  They 
paid  no  heed  to  the  message  he  bore.  When  he 
reproved  them  for  their  wickedness  and  abomina- 
tions, they  grew  angry  with  him ;  and  w^hen  he 
talked  of  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  and  the  re- 
demption of  the  world,  they  mocked  him.  But  he 
did  not  cease  to  labor  in  their  midst  until  their 
anger  grew  so  intense  that  they  sought  his  life ; 
and  the3^  would  have  slain  him  if  the  Lord  had  not 
protedled  him ;  for  it  was  not  to  be  that  Lehi 
should  fall  a  victim  to  their  hatred.  The  Lord 
had  designed  him  for  a  greater  work  —  he  was  to 
be  the  father  of  a  multitude  of  people,  and  to  this 
end  God  delivered  him  from  the  fury  of  the  Jews. 
When  it  became  impossible  for  him  to  remain 
longer  and  minister  unto  them,  he  was  instrudled 


Lehi.  214 

to  gather  up  such  things  as  he  could  carry  and 
take  them  into  the  wilderness  with  his  family, 
where  the  Lord  would  teach  him  what  more  He 
required  at  his  hands. 

When  Lehi  received  the  command  to  depart,  he 
immediately  set  about  fulfilling  it,  and  taking 
with  him  his  family  and  such  goods  and  food  as 
he  could  carry,  he  left  the  doomed  city,  where  he 
had  so  long  dwelt,  leaving  behind  him  his  house 
and  property,  his  gold,  his  silver  and  other  precious 
things,  all  of  w^hich  he  willingly  gave  up  that  he 
might  be  obedient  to  the  heavenly  message. 

Lehi's  family  consisted  of  his  wife,  Sariah, 
and  his  four  sons,  Laman,  Lemuel,  Sam  and 
Nephi.  Lehi  had  also  daughters,  but  whether  they 
were  bom  at  this  time  is  not  evident  from  the 
record.  We  have  no  account  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon of  the  precise  road  w^hich  Lehi  and  his  family 
took  when  they  left  Jerusalem.  Undoubtedly  they 
traveled  through  the  wilderness  of  Judea  south- 
ward till  they  reached  the  eastern  arm  of  the  Red 
Sea.  They  journeyed  'along  the  Arabian  shore  of 
that  sea  for  some  little  distance,  till  they  came  to  a 
valley  through  which  a  small  stream  flowed.  To 
the  river  Lehi  gave  the  name  of  Laman,  after  his 
eldest  son  ;  and  the  valley  he  called  Lemuel.  Here 
they  pitched  their  tents  and  rested  for  some  time. 
While  tarrying  in  this  valley,  Lehi,  by  Divine  di- 
rec?tion,  twice  sent  his  sons  to  Jerusalem :  the  first 
time  to  obtain  certain  most  precious  records,  the 
second,  to  bring  a  family  to  join  them  in  their 
journey.  The  head  of  this  family  was  named  Ish- 
mael.  In  both  undertakings  the  young  men  were 
successful,  and  the  company  was  strengthened  by 
the  addition  of  Zoram,  and  Ishmael  and  his  family. 
Soon  after,  five  marriages  took  place ;  Zoram  mar- 
ried Ishmael's  eldest  daughter,  and  the  four  sons 
of  Lehi  espoused  four  younger  ones. 

While  Lehi  and  his  party  dwelt  in  the  valley  of 
Lemuel,  he  received  many  glorious  manifestations 


215  Lehi. 

from  the  Lord.  Like  Enoch,  John  the  Revelator 
and  others,  the  world's  future  history  was  mapped 
out  before  him,  and  he  not  only  saw  things  that 
related  to  his  own  posterity,  but  the  scene  widened 
until  he  appears  to  have  been  shown  all  that 
would  happen  to  the  sons  and  daughters  of  man- 
kind to  the  very  last  generation.  (See  I  Nephi, 
chap.  8.)  Nephi,  his  son,  was  favored  of  the 
Lord  with  similar  manifestations. 

Before  long,  Lehi  was  diredled  to  resume  his 
journey;  and  a  wonderful  instrument, prepared  by 
Divine  condescension,  called  a  L/a/zona,  or  compass, 
was  given  him  to  guide  the  wandering  feet  of  the 
company  in  their  travels. 

So  particular  was  the  Lord  that  Lehi's  party 
should  not  come  in  contacft  with  the  people  of 
Arabia,  through  which  land  they  passed,  that  He 
gave  them  the  command  that  they  should  not  cook 
their  meat,  lest  the  flame  or  smoke  from  their  fires 
should  draw  attention  towards  them ;  but  He 
promised  that  He  would  make  their  meat  sweet  to 
them,  that  they  could  eat  it  with  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  without  it  being  cooked  with  fire. 
Probably  it  was  dried  after  the  manner  that  the 
people  in  this  region  often  dry  beef  and  other 
meats. 

To  their  next  tarrying  place,  which  they  reached 
in  four  days,  they  gave  the  name  of  Shazer.  After 
a  short  rest,  during  which  time  they  killed  game 
for  food,  they  again  took  up  their  line  of  march, 
keeping  in  the  most  fertile  parts  of  the  wilderness, 
which  were  near  the  borders  of  the  Red  Sea.  Thus 
they  continued  journeying  for  some  time,  w^hen,  by 
diredlion  of  the  Liahona,  they  changed  the  course 
of  their  travels,  and  moved  almost  diredlly  east 
across  the  Arabian  peninsula,  until  they  reached 
the  waters  on  its  eastern  coast.  There  they  found 
a  very  fruitful  land,  which  they  called  BountifuU 
because  of  the  abundance  of  its  natural  produc- 
tions.  To  the  sea  which  washed  its  shores  they 


Lehi.  216 

gave  the  name  of  Irreantum,  v^hich,  being  inter- 
preted, means  many  waters.  If  we  understand 
corredlly,  these  waters  were  a  portion  of  the  gulf 
of  Oman,  or  Arabian  sea.  The  journey  thus  far 
occupied  eight  years  from  the  time  they  left  Jerusa- 
lem. 

When  the  people  of  Lehi  reached  the  sea  shore 
they  rejoiced  greatly  that  their  tedious  wander- 
ings were  over.  Nephi,  by  Divine  direc?tion,  built 
a  ship  to  carry  them  across  these  great  waters. 
When  the  vessel  was  finished,  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  came  to  Lehi,  commanding  that  he  and  his 
people  should  arise  and  go  aboard  the  ship.  The 
next  day  they  embarked,  every  one  according, 
to  his  age,  taking  with  them  their  provisions 
seeds,  and  such  other  things  as  it  was  desirable 
they  should  carry  across  the  ocean  to  their  new 
home,  far  away  on  its  opposite  shores. 

During  Lehi's  travels  in  the  wilderness  two 
sons  were  born  to  him,  w^hom  he  named  Jacob 
and  Joseph,  respedlively.  The  patriarch  and  his 
wife  were  now  advancing  in  yeais,  and  their 
peace  was  much  disturbed  on  the  ocean  by  the 
cruel  conduct  of  Laman  and  others  towards 
Nephi.  In  fadl  the  miseries  induced  by  this  con- 
duct: nearly  resulted  in  the  death  of  the  aged 
couple. 

After  many  days,  the  vessel  with  its  precious 
freight  reached  the  shores  of  this  continent,  at  a 
place,  we  are  told  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith, 
near  where  the  city  of  Valparaiso,  Chili,  now 
stands.  Then,  with  hearts  full  of  rejoicing,  they 
left  the  vessel  that  had  carried  them  safely  across 
the  wide  ocean,  and  went  forth  upon  the  land 
which  God  had  given  to  them  and  to  their  genera- 
tions after  them.  And  thej^  pitched  their  tents 
and  began  to  make  a  new  home.  They  put  the 
seeds  into  the  earth,  which  they  had  brought 
from  Jerusalem.  To  their  great  joy  these  seeds 
grew    exceedingly,   and  they    were    blessed    with 


217  Lehi. 

abundance.  Upon  the  land  they  found  many 
beasts  of  the  forest,  also  cows,  asses,  horses, 
goats,  and  other  animals  that  are  for  the  use  of 
man ;  and  in  the  earth  they  found  precious  ores  of 
gold,  silver  and  copper.  Then  they  erected  an 
altar,  and,  to  show  their  thankfulness  to  God, 
they  offered  sacrifices  and  burnt  offerings,  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  Moses,  as  was  their  wont  under 
such  circumstances. 

The  course  taken  by  Lehi  and  his  people  has 
been  revealed  with  some  detail.  We  are  told  by 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  that  Lehi  and  his  com- 
pany traveled  in  nearly  a  south-southeast  direc- 
tion until  they  came  to  the  nineteenth  degree  of 
north  latitude,  then,  nearly  east  to  the  sea  of 
Arabia,  then  sailed  in  a  southeast  diredlion,  and 
landed  on  the  continent  of  South  America,  in 
Chili,  thirty  degrees  south  latitude.  This  voyage 
would  take  them  across  the  Indian  and  South 
Pacific  Oceans. 

Some  time,  we  know  not  how  long,  after 
Lehi's  arrival,  believing  that  his  end  was  ap- 
proaching, he  gathered  his  children  together  as 
did  his  forefathers  before  him,  and  being  inspired 
by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  blessed  them,  foretell- 
ing many  things  that  should  occur  to  them  to 
their  latest  generations. 

Soon  after  Lehi  had  uttered  these  blessings , 
the  Lord  took  him  from  this  earth  to  dwell  with 
Him  in  eternity.  Of  the  death  of  Sariah,  his  wife, 
we  have  no  account. 

LEHI.  The  son  of  Zoram,  the  commander 
of  the  Nephite  armies,   B.   C.   81.    (See  Aha.) 

LEHI.  One  of  the  greatest  of  Nephite  mili- 
tary commanders  and  the  associate  of  Moroni  and 
Teancum,  both  of  whom  he  survived  for  many 
years.  It  is  not  evident  from  the  record,  but  we 
think  it  highly  probable,  that  Lehi  was  the  same 
person  as  Lehi  the  son  of  Zoram  (Alma, 16: 5), that 
young  man  being  then  (B.  C.  81)  a  distinguished 


Lehi  218 

officer  tinder  his  father.  Lehi  first  prominently 
appears  in  the  Nephite  annals  in  the  great  battle 
fought  (B.  C.  74)  with  the  Lamanites  under  Zara- 
hemnah,  on  the  banks  of  the  Sidon,  not  far  from 
Manti.  Moroni  was  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Nephite  forces,  while  Lehi  commanded  an  army 
corps.  Before  the  battle  commenced,  Moroni  skil- 
fully concealed  his  troops  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  and  permitted  the  Lamanites  to  pass  be- 
tween. Lehi's  men,  who  had  been  massed  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  on  the  south  of  a  hill  named 
Riplah,  closed  in  on  the  rear  of  the  Lamanites, 
when  the  latter  faced  about  and  gave  battle.  The 
fight  soon  grew  fast  and  furious.  The  Lamanites 
perceiving  that  Moroni  was  attacking  them  on 
both  sides,  fought  with  desperation,  but  with  im- 
mense loss ;  and  in  a  short  time  they  fled  be- 
fore Lehi  and  were  driven  by  him  into  the 
waters  of  the  river.  Lehi  did  not  cross  in  pursuit, 
but  halted  his  soldiers  on  the  eastern  side,  while 
the  troops  more  diredlly  commanded  by  Moroni 
drove  the  enemy  before  them  on  the  western 
banks.  The  day  ended  in  a  complete  victory  for 
the  Nephites.  When  the  devastating  wars  which 
Amalickiah  inaugurated  were  begun,  we  again 
find  Lehi  in  high  command.  He  was  chief  cap- 
tain in  the  city  of  Noah,  and  when  the  Lamanites 
attacked  it,  his  name  alone  added  to  their  discom- 
fiture, for,  we  are  told,  "they  feared  Lehi  exceed- 
ingly" (Alma,49:17).  Lehi's  cautious  but  resolute 
defense,  combined  with  the  perfection  of  the  forti- 
fications built  by  Moroni  around  the  city,  caused 
the  Lamanites  to  throw  away  more  than  one 
thousand  men,  and  all  their  chief  captains,  in  the 
futile  attempt  to  carry  the  city  by  storm  (B.  C. 
73). 

Lehi  continued  to  be  adlively  engaged  during 
the  next  war,  and  appears  to  have  been  second  in 
command  to  Moroni  over  the  army  of  the  north- 
east.    His  next  conspicuous  recorded  exploit  was 


219  Lehi. 

assisting  in  the  defeat  oi  Jacob,  between  Bounti- 
ful and  Mulek,  and  the  recapture  of  the  latter  city 
(B.  C.  64).  Moroni  placed  Lehi  in  command  of 
the  captured  city.  When  (B.  C.  62)  the  revolt  of 
the  king-men  under  Pachus  took  place,  Moroni,  at 
the  suggestion  of  Pahoran,  the  chief  judge,  hast- 
ened to  the  aid  of  the  government  at  Zarahemla, 
and  left  Lehi  and  Teancum  in  charge  of  the  armies 
in  the  northeast,  who  were  then  reduced  by  years 
of  continued  fighting,  and  sadly  in  need  of  provis- 
ions. The  next  year,  Moroni  sent  them  a  reinforce- 
ment of  6,000  men  and  a  sufficient  supply  of  food, 
which  was  followed  by  a  brilliant  campaign,  in 
which  Moroni,  Lehi  and  Teancum,  by  prear- 
ranged tallies  and  simultaneous  movements, 
drove  the  Lamanites  beyond  the  Nephite  territory 
and  ended  the  long-continued  and  exhausting 
series  of  wars.  (B.  C.  61.)  When  Moroni  died 
(B.  C.  56),  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Moroni- 
hah  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the 
Republic,  and  Lehi,  now  getting  up  in  years,  ap- 
pears to  have  stood  in  the  same  position  to  him, 
as  he  did  to  his  father. 

In  the  calamitous  invasion  of  the  land  of  Zara- 
hemla by  the  Lamanites,  under  Coriantumr  (B.  C. 
51),  Lehi  was  the  first  to  stay  their  devastating 
march  northward.  He  met  them  somewhere  be- 
tween Zarahemla  and  Bountiful,  and  drove  them 
back  towards  the  former  city.  Their  retreat  was 
cut  off  by  Moronihah,  and  the  tw^o  Nephite  gen- 
erals, one  in  the  front  and  the  other  in  the  rear, 
signally  defeated  the  invaders  and  made  prisoners 
ot  all  who  were  not  slain.  It  is  in  connedlion 
with  this  campaign  that  Lehi's  name  is  last  men- 
tioned in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  In  characfter,  we 
are  told  by  the  historian,  that  Lehi  "  was  a  man 
like  unto  Moroni,"  God-fearing,  wise,  prudent  and 
brave.  ''They  were  beloved  by  each  other,  and 
also  beloved  by  all  the  people  of  Nephi."  Alma, 
53:  2.) 


Lehi,  son  of  Helaman.  220  Lehi,  City  of. 

LEHI,  THE  SON  OF  HELAMAN.  Were 
we  to  attempt  to  sketch  the  life  of  Lehi,  we 
should  simply  have  to  repeat  the  most  striking 
features  of  that  of  his  elder  brother,  Nephi.  In 
their  labors,  journeyings,  ministrations,  etc.,  they 
seem  to  have  always  been  together.  Like  Samuel 
of  old,  in  their  childhood  they  "began  to  grow  up 
unto  the  Lord."  and  in  riper  years  they  lived  to 
His  glory.  In  speaking  of  the  exalted  charadler 
of  Nephi,  the  historian  adds,  "And  behold,  Lehi, 
his  brother,  was  not  a  whit  behind  him  as  to 
things  pertaining  to  righteousness." 

The  date  of  Lehi's  birth  is  not  recorded.  In 
the  year  B.  C.  44,  the  fa 61  that  Helaman  had  two 
sons,  named  Nephi  and  Lehi,  is  mentioned ;  but  at 
that  time  they  must  have  grown  to  manhood,  as 
their  public  labors  began  shortly  after.  Lehi  ac- 
companied his  brother  in  his  extended  labors 
throughout  the  lands  of  the  Nephites ;  he  was 
with  him  in  prison  among  the  Lamanites,  in  the 
city  of  Lehi-Nephi,  at  the  time  of  the  great  mani- 
festation of  God's  power,  and  the  conversion  of 
the  greater  part  of  that  people  to  the  service  of 
the  true  God ;  he  went  with  Nephi  to  the  northern 
continent,  and  labored  there  several  years.  Again 
we  hear  of  them  (B.  C.  13)  still  laboring  in  the 
might  of  Jehovah  and  the  powers  of  the  priest- 
hood for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men.  After 
this  we  lose  vsight  of  Lehi,  the  date,  the  place,  or 
circumstances  of  his  death  are  not  stated. 

LEHI,  CITY  OF.  A  city  on  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  of  South  America,  apparently  near  the 
Caribbean  Sea.  It  is  described  as  lying  "in  the 
north,  by  the  borders  of  the  sea  shore"  (Alma,  50: 
15).  It  was  founded  in  B.  C.  72,  possibly  by  Lehi, 
one  of  the  great  Nephite  generals  of  that  era.  In 
B.  C.  68,  its  citizens  being  threatened  by  their 
neighbors  of  the  city  of  Morianton,  fled  for  pro- 
tection to  the  camp  of  Moroni.  When  the  diffi- 
culty was  settled  they  both  returned  to  their  re- 


Lehi,  Land  of.  221  Lehi-Nephi,  City  of. 

spedlivc  homes.  In  B.  C.  67  this  city,  with  many 
others,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Lamanite  armies 
under  Amalickiah,  who  appear  to  have  retained 
it  until  B.  C.  61,  when  it  was  recaptured  by  the 
Nephites.  This  cit^-  is  not  again  mentioned  by 
name  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

LEHI,  LAND  OF.  The  name  by  which  the 
whole  of  South  America  was  known  to  the  Ne- 
phites, in  contradistincfhion  to  North  America, 
which  was  called  Mulek,  because  the  Lord  brought 
Mulek  into  the  land  north,  and  Lehi  into  the 
land  south.     (Helaman,  6:   10.) 

LEHI,  LAND  OF.  A  small  region  of  South 
America,  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  immediately 
surrounding  the  City  of  Lehi,  and  adjoining  the 
land  of  Morianton.  In  B.  C.  68,  a  feud  arose 
betw^een  these  two  distridls,  the  people  of  Mori- 
anton unjustly  claiming  a  portion  of  the  land 
of  Lehi.  The  former  determined  to  assert  their 
claims  by  force  of  arms,  when  the  people  of  Lehi 
for  protection  fled  to  the  camp  of  Moroni,  the 
Nephite  commander-in-chief,  Morianton,  the  leader 
of  the  people  of  that  name,  determined  to  flee 
northw^ard  with  his  followers,  but  was  stopped 
at  the  land  Bountiful  by  the  Nephite  armies. 
A  battle  ensued  in  which  Morianton  was  slain 
and  his  people  were  escorted  back  to  their  own 
lands.  Upon  their  making  an  agreement  to  keep 
the  peace,  a  union  was  eifedled  between  them 
and  the  people  of  Lehi,  who  also  returned  to 
their  homes. 

LEHI-NEPHI,  OR  NEPHI,  CITY  OF. 
The  capital  city  of  the  land  occupied  by  the 
Nephites,  for  a  period  of  uncertain  length,  im- 
mediately preceding  the  exodus  of  the  righteous 
portion  of  the  race  to  Zarahemla,  under  Mosiah 
I,  rather  more  than  two  hundred  years  before 
Christ.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  situated 
in  the  region  known  to  moderns  as  Ecuador. 
When  the  Nephites  evacuated  this  city,  the  Laman- 


Lehi-Nephi,  Land  of.  222 

ites  took  possession  of  it,  and  held  it,  until, 
by  treaty  between  king  Laman  and  Zeniff,  it 
was,  with  the  surrounding  distridl,  ceded  to  the 
Nephite  colon\-  that  had  returned  from  Zara- 
hemla.  It  now  became  the  chief  city  of  this 
branch  of  the  race,  and  Zeniflf,  Noah  and  Limhi 
reigned  there  as  kings.  The  Nephites,  finding 
that  the  indolent  Lamanites  had  permitted  it 
to  fall  into  decay,  went  to  work  to  repair  its 
walls  and  residences,  and  in  the  days  of  king 
Noah  it  was  greatly  beautified  and  improved. 
Among  its  other  buildings  it  contained  a 
temple,  near  to  which  king  Noah  built  a  high 
tower.  It  was  in  this  city  that  Abinadi  was 
martyred,  and  on  its  outskirts,  shortly  after. 
Alma,  the  elder,  established  a  Christian  Church 
at  the  waters  of  Mormon.  Lehi-Nephi  was  again 
evacuated  by  the  Nephites,  B.  C.  122;  when  it 
was  again  possessed  by  the  Lamanites,  and 
was  made  by  them  the  capital  of  the  whole 
land  of  Nephi,  and  the  abode  of  their  head 
king.  Aaron,  the  son  of  Mosiah,  found  the 
chief  monarch  (the  father  of  Lamoni)  residing 
there  when  he  went  up  to  the  land  of  Nephi 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Lamanites  (about 
B.  C  85).  Lehi  and  Nephi,  the  sons  of  Hela- 
man,  were  cast  into  prison  in  this  city,  when 
they  ministered  among  the  Lamanites;  and  it 
was  in  this  prison  that  there  was  such  a  glori- 
ous manifestation  of  the  power  of  God  in  their 
behalf,  that  resulted  in  the  conversion  of  so  many 
thousand  Lamanites.    (B    C.   30.) 

LEHI-NEPHI,  LAND  OF.  A  small  divi- 
sion of  the  land  of  Nephi,  originally  settled  by  the 
Nephites,  but  after  their  departure  it  was  taken 
possession  of  by  the  Lamanites,  and  by  them  made 
the  chief  centre  of  their  government.  It  appears 
to  have  been  simply  the  valley  in  which  the  city  of 
Lehi-Nephi  stood  ,  but  because  it  at  one  time  com- 
prised all  the  territory  occupied  by  the  Nephites, 


223  Lehonti. 

whence  they  spread  out  and  colonized,  it  is  more 
often  called  the  land  of  Nephi  than  the  land  of 
Lehi-Nephi;  but  it  must  not  be  confounded  with 
the  larger  land  of  Nephi  which  grew  out  of  it. 
This  smaller  land  of  Nephi  is  supposed  to  have 
been  situated  in  the  country  now  called  Ecuador. 

LEHONTI.  A  Lamanite  officer,  chosen  by 
the  opponents  of  the  war  policy  of  the  reigning 
sovereign,  as  their  leader  in  their  armed  resistance 
to  the  royal  proclamation  (B.  C.  73). 

When  the  Nephite  traitor,  Amalickiah,  fled  to 
the  Lamanites,  the  first  step  he  took  to  accomplish 
his  ambitious,  though  at  present  defeated,  pur- 
poses, was  to  excite  public  feeling  against  the  Ne- 
phi tes.  The  king  gave  way  before  his  wiles  and 
persuasiveness,  but  the  great  mass  of  the  people, 
not  being  brought  in  contacft  with  his  brilliant 
person  and  shining  abilities,  were  averse  to  hos- 
tilities. They  too  well  remembered  the  horrors 
and  disasters  of  the  previous  campaign.  Amalic- 
kiah had,  however,  gained  such  influence  over  the 
king's  mind  that  he  w^as  inexorable,  and  insisted 
on  the  invasion  of  Zarahemla.  For  this  purpose, 
he  issued  a  proclamtion  and  sent  it  among  all  his 
subjedls,  commanding  them  to  gather  to  his 
standard.  The  people  greatly  dreaded  the  arbi- 
trary power  of  the  throne,  but  they  feared  the 
Nephites  more.  Consequently,  many  refused  to 
heed  the  proclamation,  and  assembled  themselves 
at  Onidah,  the  place  of  arms,  for  protecftion 
against  an  army  the  king  had  placed  under  the 
command  of  Amalickiah  to  bring  them  to  terms, 
and  which  was  now  rapidly  advancing  towards 
them.  Here  they  chose  Lehonti  as  their  leader 
and  king,  for  they  were  strong  in  their  deter- 
mination not  to  go  to  war  with  the  Nephites. 
Lehonti  assembled  his  forces  on  a  mount  called 
Antipas,  and  there  awaited  the  arrival  of  the 
ro3^al  troops. 

Lehonti,  however,  little  knew  the  temper  or 


Lemuel.  224 

craft  of  the  man  with  whom  he  was  dealing. 
Amalickiah  had  no  intention  to  spill  Lamanite 
blood.  He  wanted  their  friendship  now,  that 
he  might  use  them  as  his  willing  tools  hereafter. 
To  this  end,  when  night  came,  he  sought  an  in- 
terview with  Lehonti,  who,  fearing  treachery,  re- 
fused to  go  down  near  to  his  camp.  Three  times 
did  Amalickiah  send  his  message,  and  as  often 
was  the  proposal  declined.  At  last,  the  plotter 
went  up  the  mountain,  to  near  where  Lehonti's 
camp  was  situated,  and  there  told  him  to  come 
out  and  meet  him,  and  if  he  feared  any  evil,  to 
bring  his  guard  with  him.  This  time  the  cau- 
tious Lehonti  acquiesced.  At  the  interview  that 
followed,  Amalickiah  agreed  to  surrender  his 
forces  to  Lehonti,  on  condition  that  he  (Ama- 
lickiah) should  be  placed  second  in  command  of 
the  united  forces.  The  plot  was  successfully  car- 
ried out.  Lehonti  surrounded  the  royal  troops 
before  morning;  they,  seeing  their  predicament, 
were  loth  to  do  battle  with  their  countr3^men 
and  pleaded  with  their  commander  to  surrender. 
This  he  did,  for  it  was  exadlly  what  he  had  been 
working  for.  Lehonti  faithfully  carried  out  the 
terms  of  the  agreement  and  placed  Amalickiah 
second  in  command.  The  conscienceless  traitor 
soon  removed  the  commander-in-chief;  Lehonti 
was  killed  by  slow  poison,  administered  by  a 
creature  of  his  subordinate,  and  Amalickiah  as- 
sumed supreme  command. 

LEMUEL.  The  second  son  of  Lehi  and  Sariah, 
born  in  Jerusalem,  about  B.  C.  620  or  625. 
He  appears  in  history  as  the  shadow  of  his 
elder  brother,  Lam  an ;  where  the  latter  led  he 
followed,  but  lacked,  to  some  extent,  the  a<5live, 
aggressive  malignit3^  of  Laman's  turbulent  and 
vindidlive  characfter.  In  all  the  rebellions  in  the 
Arabian  wilderness,  in  all  the  murmurings  against 
the  providences  of  the  Lord,  in  all  the  inhuman 
assaults    upon    Nephi,    Lemuel    sided  with    and 


Lemuel,  City  of.  225  Lemuelites. 

sustained  Laman,  and  when,  after  the  death 
of  Lehi,  the  colony  divided,  Lemuel  and  his 
family  joined  their  fortunes  to  that  of  his  elder 
brother.  Of  Lemuel's  domestic  life  we  only  know 
that  he  married  a  daughter  of  Ishmael.  Of  the 
time  and  place  of  his  death  we  are  told  nothing. 
The  descendants  of  Lemuel  appear  to  have  in- 
herited the  charadleristics  of  their  progenitor  — 
they  took  a  secondary  place  in  the  Lamanite 
nation,  and  we  do  not  read  of  one  prominent 
charadier,  either  in  Nephite  or  Lamanite  history, 
who  was  descended  from  him. 

LEMUEL,  CITY  OF.  A  city  of  the  Laman- 
ites,  whose  inhabitants  were  converted  to  the 
Lord  by  the  preaching  of  the  sons  of  Mosiah, 
and  became  a  portion  of  the  people  of  Anti- 
Lehi-Nephi.  They,  no  doubt,  afterwards  suffered 
in  the  ruthless  persecutions  inflidled  upon  the 
Christian  Lamanites,  and  those  who  survived 
migrated  to  the  land  of  Jershon,  with  the  rest  of 
their  brethren,   (B.   C.   78). 

LEMUEL,  VALLEY  OF.  After  three  days' 
journey  through  the  desert  bordering  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Red  Sea,  ( Gulf  of  Arabia, )  Lehi  and 
his  colony  reached  a  small  valley  wherein  they 
camped  and  built  an  altar  to  the  Lord.  A  river 
ran  through  it  and  emptied  into  the  sea.  To  the 
river,  Lehi  gave  the  name  of  Laman,  and  to  the 
valley,  that  of  Lemuel,  after  his  two  eldest  sons, 
remarking  to  Lemuel  ''O  that  thou  mightest  be 
like  unto  this  valley,  firm  and  steadfast,  and  im- 
movable in  keeping  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord."  After  a  stay  of  considerable  length,  Lehi 
continued  his  journey  down  the  shores  of  the  Red 
Sea.  (B.  C.  600.) 

LEMUELITES.  The  descendants  of  Lem- 
uel. They  formed  a  portion  of  the  Lamanite 
nation,  but  do  not  appear  to  have  taken  a  prom- 
inent position  in  the  condudl  of  its  affairs.  The 
descendants  of  Laman  were  the  controlling  ele- 


■i 


Levi.  226  Liahona,  The. 

ment  in  the  race,  in  whose  movements  the  Lemuel- 
ites  acquiesced. 

IjEVI.  a  Jaredite  prince,  the  son  of  Kim. 
His  father  was  driven  from  the  throne  and  held  in 
captivity  for  the  remainder  of  his  days.  Levi  was 
born  in  captivity  and  so  remained  until  42  years 
after  the  death  of  his  father ;  when  he  rose  in  re- 
bellion against  his  uncle,  who  occupied  the  throne, 
deposed  him,  and  reigned  in  his  stead.  During  his 
reign  he  did  that  which  was  right  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  and  his  people  were  greatly  prospered. 
He  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  was  blessed  with  a 
large  family,  and  when  he  died  his  son  Corom  suc- 
ceeded him  as  king. 

LEVI.  The  son  of  Jacob.  His  name  is  only 
mentioned  in  a  quotation  from  Malachi  (HI  Ne- 
phi,  24:  3),  "and  he  shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi." 

LIAHONA,  THE.  While  Lehi  and  his  little 
colony  were  encamped  near  the  river  Laman,  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  and  commanded 
him  to  resume  his  journey  on  the  morrow.  When 
Lehi  Stepped  out  of  his  tent  door  the  next  morn- 
ing, he  was  much  surprised  to  behold  lying  upon 
the  ground  close  by,  a  round  ball  of  curious 
workmanship.  It  appeared  as  though  it  was  made 
of  fine  brass,  and  within  it  were  two  spindles ; 
one  of  which  pointed  the  way  which  Lehi  and 
his  party  should  travel  as  they  journeyed  through 
the  wilderness. 

God  had  prepared  this  strange  instrument  or 
guide  for  them.  In  the  days  of  Moses,  when  He 
led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  a  pillar  of 
cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night  moved  in  front 
of  them.  This  the  Hebrews  followed.  But  to  Lehi 
He  gave  this  Liahona,  or  compass,  as  the  ball  was 
called,  and  it  pointed  the  way  they  should 
travel.  It  had  one  strange  peculiarity,  which 
was  that  it  worked  according  to  their  faith  and 
diligence.  When  they  kept  God's  law  it  showed 
them    much    more    clearly  the  way  they  should 


227  Lib. 

go  than  when  they  were  careless  or  rebellious. 
Some  people  have  confused  this  ball,  because 
it  is  called  a  compass,  with  the  mariner's  com- 
pass, that  sailors  use  at  sea  to  diredl  the  course 
of  their  ships.  But  there  is  a  great  difference  be- 
tween the  two.  The  Liahona  pointed  the  way 
that  Lehi's  company  should  travel,  while  the 
needle  in  the  mariner's  compass  points  to  the 
north.  The  one  showed  the  way  Lehi  should  go, 
the  other  informs  the  traveler  which  way  he  is 
going.  The  one  was  speciall3'  prepared  by  the 
Lord  for  Lehi  and  his  companions,  and  was  used 
through  faith  only;  the  other  can  be  used  by  all 
men,  whether  believers  in  the  true  God,  pagans 
or  infidels.  At  times,  also,  writing  would  mirac- 
ulously appear  on  the  Liahona,  giving  directions 
or  reproving  for  sin,  as  the  company  most  needed. 
LIB.  A  righteous  king  of  the  Jaredites,  in 
whose  reign  the  nation  prospered  and  multiplied 
greatly.  He  was  the  son  and  successor  of  Kish. 
In  the  reign  of  a  former  monarch  named  Heth,  the 
Lord  had  deeply  aflflidled  the  people,  because  of 
their  sins ;  and  among  other  things  he  had  caused 
numbers  of  poisonous  serpents  to  occup3^  the 
regions  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  and  thus  prevented  thepeople  from  gain- 
ing access  to  the  southern  continent.  In  Lib's 
days  these  venomous  reptiles  were  destroyed, 
and  the  land  southward  was  found  to  be  full  of 
beasts  of  the  forest.  That  country  was  preserved 
as  one  enormous  hunting  ground  of  the  race,  Lib, 
himself,  becoming  a  great  hunter.  He  also  built  a 
large  city  at  the  narrowest  portion  of  the  Isth- 
mus, apparently  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  the 
regions  south  from  settlement,  so  that  it  might  be 
the  source  of  their  meat  supply,  for  the  country 
northward  was  covered  with  inhabitants.  In 
this  reign  the  people  greatly  developed  in  the  arts 
of  civilization,  they  prosecuted  mining  with  much 
vigor,  improved    in    the    manufadlure    of  textile 


Lib.  228  Limhah. 

fabrics  ;  agriculture  made  marked  advance  through 
the  invention  and  application  of  improved  ma- 
chinery in  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  and  the 
harvesting  of  their  crops.  They  also  made  all  man- 
ner of  weapons  of  war,  though,  as  this  was  a  time 
of  profound  peace,  this  can  only  be  regarded  as  a 
precautionary  measure.  In  fadl,  to  use  the  words 
of  the  sacred  historian:  ''never  could  be  a  people 
more  blessed  than  were  they,  and  more  prospered 
by  the  hand  of  the  Lord.  And  they  were  in  a  land 
that  was  choice  above  all  lands,  for  the  Lord  had 
spoken  it." 

Lib  lived  many  years,  was  blessed  with  a  nu- 
merous posterity,  and  when  he  died  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Heart  horn. 

LIB.  A  commander  opposed  to  Coriarztu227r,  in 
the  great  series  of  wars  that  ended  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Jaredite  race.  In  size  he  was  a  giant, 
being  the  largest  man  in  the  nation.  He  was  also 
high  in  authority  among  the  members  of  the  secret 
associations  that  at  that  time  held  almost  un- 
bounded power  among  that  people.  He  came  to 
the  throne  through  the  murder  of  his  predecessor, 
having  himself  committed  the  vile  deed.  In  the 
first  year  of  his  reign,  Coriantumr  came *up  against 
him,  and  drove  his  forces  to  the  borders  of  the 
sea.  In  this  battle,  however.  Lib  and  Coriantumr 
met  in  single  combat,  and  the  latter  was  severely 
wounded  by  his  adversary.  A  second  battle  took 
place  on  the  sea  shore,  in  which  Lib  was  vi6lo-> 
rious,  and  the  enemy  retreated  to  the  wilderness 
of  Akish,  and  thence  to  the  plains  of  Agosh.  Here 
Coriantumr  made  another  stand,  and  in  the  battle 
that  ensued  Lib  was  killed.  His  brother,  named 
Shiz,  took  command,  continued  the  fight,  and 
obtained  a  decisive  vidlory. 

LIMHAH.  A  Nephite  general,  who  com- 
manded a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last 
great  struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  the  Laman- 
ites.      He,    with    all  his  command,   w^as  slain  in 


Limber.  229  Limhi. 

the  final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumorah 
(A.  C.  385),  when  the  Nephite  nation  was  anni- 
hilated. 

lilMHEK.  A  Nephite  military  officer  of  the 
early  days  of  the  Republic.  He,  with  Arnnory 
Manti  and  Zeram,  and  their  commands,  was  sent 
to  watch  the  retreating  Amlicites  after  their  defeat 
by  Alma,  (B.  C.  87).  They  returned  next  day 
in  great  haste,  and  reported  that  the  Amlicites 
had  joined  an  invading  army  of  Lamanites,  and 
together  they  were  advancing  by  way  of  the  land 
of  Minon  to  Zarahemla.  Limher  is  nowhere  else 
mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

LIMHI.  The  son  of  Noah,  and  the  third 
king  over  the  colony  which  left  Zarahemla  and 
returned  to  Lehi-Nephi.  His  reign  was  little  more 
than  a  nominal  one,  as  his  people  were  in  bond- 
age to  the  Lamanites,  to  whom  they  paid  one- 
half  of  all  they  possessed,  and  one-half  of  the 
products  of  their  yearly  toil.  Out  of  this  were 
paid  the  guards  who  were  set  to  watch  that 
none  of  the  Nephites  escaped.  Limhi's  reign  was 
marked  by  several  disastrous  wars,  one  brought 
on  by  the  fugitive  priests  of  king  Noah  (see 
Laman.  Amnion);  the  others  were  the  abortive 
attempts  of  the  people  of  Limhi  to  throw  off 
the  oppressor's  yoke;  but  in  every  case  the  revolt 
ended  in  its  suppression  and  the  infliction  of 
heavier  burdens  and  more  cruel  indignities  upon 
the  unfortunate  Nephites.  All  of  which  were  in 
fulfilment  of  the  words  of  the  Prophet  Ahinadi. 
Thus  the  years  slow^ly  and  painfully  wore  away. 
The  Lord,  after  a  time,  softened  the  hearts  of  the 
Lamanites,  so  that  they  treated  their  captives 
with  less  cruelty.  He  also  prospered  them  in  their 
labors,  that  they  did  not  suffer  any  more  from 
hunger. 

In  this  sad  condition  of  bondage  and  serfdom, 
the  people  of  Limhi  had  one  hope.  It  was  to 
communicate  with  their  Nephite  friends  in  the  land 


Limhi.  230 

of  Zarahemla.  To  this  end  Limhi  secretly  fitted 
out  an  expedition  consisting  of  a  small  number 
of  men.  This  company  became  lost  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  traveled  a  long  distance  northward, 
until  they  found  a  land  covered  with  the  dry 
bones  of  men  who  appeared  to  have  fallen  in 
battle.  Limhi's  people  thought  this  must  be  the 
land  of  Zarahemla,  and  that  their  Nephite  brethren 
who  dwelt  there  had  been  destroyed.  But  in  this 
they  were  wrong,  for  they  found  with  the  dead 
some  records  engraved  on  plates  of  gold,  which, 
when  afterwards  translated  by  the  power  of  God, 
showed  that  these  bones  were  those  of  some  of 
the  Jaredites  who  had  been  slain  in  war.  They 
evidently  missed  the  land  of  Zarahemla,  having 
probably  traveled  to  the  west  of  it  and  passed 
northward  through  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 

Shortly  after  this,  a  small  company,  numbering 
sixteen  men,  reached  them  from  Zarahemla.  Their 
leader's  name  was  Ammon.  He  had  been  sent  by 
kingMosiah  to  the  land  of  Nephi,  to  find  out  what 
had  become  of  the  people  who  left  with  ZenifF, 
Limhi's  grandfather.  At  first,  Ammon's  men  were 
taken  for  spies  and  cast  into  prison.  The  next 
day  the  mistake  was  discovered,  and  Limhi  and 
his  people  were  overjoyed  to  hear  from  their 
friends  Soon  plans  were  laid  to  effedl  the  escape 
of  the  enslaved  Nephites,  which,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  Limhi,  Ammon  and  Gideon,  was  suc- 
cesfully  accomphshed.  The  Lamanite  guards  were 
made  drowsy  through  a  large  present  of  wine, 
of  which  they  freely  drank.  While  in  this  con- 
dition the  Nephites  escaped  through  an  unfre- 
quented pass,  crossed  the  wilderness  and  reached 
the  land  of  Zarahemla  in  safety,  (B.  C.  122). 
After  the  arrival  of  his  people  in  Zarahemla,  we 
hear  nothing  more  of  Limhi,  save  that  he  and 
all  who  accompanied  him  from  Lehi-Nephi  were 
baptized  by  Alma,  the  elder,  and  became  members 
of  the  church  of  God. 


Lucifer.  231  Manasseh. 

LUCIFER.    The  Son  of  the  Morning;  Satan. 
This  name  appears  but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon  (II  Nephi,  24:  12),  in  a   quotation  from  the  ^ 
writings   of  Isaiah. 

MADMENAH.  A  Benjaminite  village,  north 
of  Jerusalem,  whose  inhabitants  were  frightened 
away  by  the  appearance  of  the  armies  of  Sen- 
nacherib. It  is  only  mentioned  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  in  a  quotation  from  the  writings  of  / 
Isaiah,    (II  Nephi,   20:   31).  ^ 

MAHAH.  One  of  the  sons  oijared,  appa- 
rently the  third.  It  is  presumable  that  he  was 
born  in  Western  Asia,  before  the  people  of  Jared 
commenced  their  migration  to  America.  Like  the 
rest  of  his  father's  family,  he  was  a  righteous  man  ; 
and  when  offered  the  kingly  authority  by  the 
people  he  refused   that   honor. 

MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ.  A  son  of 
Isaiah.  His  name,  which  means  speed-spoil,  was 
given  by  Divine  revelation,  as  a  token  that  the 
"child  should  not  have  knowledge  to  cry, my  father, 
and  my  mother,  before  the  riches  of  Damascus 
and  the  spoil  of  Samaria  shall  be  taken  away 
before  the  king  of  Assyria." 

It  is  this  incident  that  appears  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon  in  Nephi's  quotations  from  the  writ- 
ings  of  Isaiah,    (II   Nephi,   18:   1—4). 

MALACHI.  The  prophet  of  the  Jews  of  that 
name.  His  prophecies,  as  contained  in  the  third 
and  fourth  chapters  of  his  book,  were  quoted 
to  the  Nephites  b^-  Jesus  during  his  ministrations 
to  them.  As  Malachi  lived  between  two  and  three 
hundred  years  after  Lehi  left  Jerusalem,  the 
Nephites  knew  nothing  of  the  glorious  things  that 
the  Father  had  revealed  to  him  until  Jesus  re- 
peated  them. 

MANASSEH.  This  name  is  used  in  two 
waj's  in  the  Book  of  Mormon:  (1)  For  the  king- 
dom or  people  of  Israel  (II  Nephi,  19:  21),  in 
a    quotation    from    the  writings   of  Isaiah;   and 


Manti  232  Manti,  Hill. 

(2)  for  the  son  of  Joseph,  in  the  statement 
(Alma,  10:  3)  that  Lehi  was  one  of  this  patri- 
arch's descendants. 

MANTI.  A  Nephite  military  officer  of  the 
early  days  of  the  Judges.  He  with  three  others  — 
Zeram,  Amnor  and  Limber,  and  their  men,  — 
were  sent  out  by  Alma  to  watch  the  Arnlicites 
after  their  defeat  by  the  Nephites,  (B.  C.  87). 
The  next  day  they  returned  to  camp  in  great 
trepidation,  and  reported  that  the  Amlicites  had 
joined  an  invading  host  of  the  Lamanites  in  the 
land  Minon,  and  that  together  they  were  pushing 
with  great  haste  towards  the  city  of  Zarahemla. 
Manti  is  only  mentioned  in  connedlion  with  this 
incident,  but  it  is  not  improbable  that  he  was 
sent  to  settle  the  south  country,  and  that  the 
land   of  Manti  was  named  after  him. 

MANTI,  CITY  OF.  ^  The  chief  city  of  the 
land  of  Manti.  It  was  situated  near  the  head- 
waters of  the  Sidon,  and  was  the  most  southerlj'- 
city  of  importance  in  that  region.  Being  an  out- 
lying settlement  of  the  Nephites,  though  strongl3^ 
fortified,  it  suffered  greatly  by  the  invasions  of  the 
Lamanites.  In  the  great  war,  inaugurated  by 
Amalickiah,  it  was  captured  by  the  Lamanites 
(some  time  before  B.  C.  66),  and  by  them  con- 
verted into  an  important  base  for  their  operations 
against  the  Nephites,  both  east  and  west.  In 
B.C.  63,  Gid  and  Teomner,  two  Nephite  generals, 
recaptured  it  by  stratagem ;  and  Helaman  took 
his  Ammonite  and  other  troops  there  and  made 
it  his  headquarters.  It  was  not  again  captured 
by  the  Lamanites  during  that  long  and  disastrous 
war.  In  later  Lamanite  invasions  it  undoubtedly 
fell,  more  than  once,  into  their  hands,  as  it  was 
in  the  diredl  line  of  the  course  they  generally  took 
when  entering  the  Nephite  territory. 

MANTI,  HILL.  A  hill  near  the  city  of  Zara- 
hemla, upon  which  Nehor,  the  murderer  of  Gideon, 
was  executed,   B.   C.   91,    (Alma,   1:   15). 


Manti,  Land  of.  233  Mary. 

MANTl,  LAND  OF.  This  land  was  situated 
contiguous  to  the  wilderness  at  the  head  waters 
of  the  Sidon  (Alma,  16:  6),  and  lay  on  the  line 
of  march  generally  taken  iDy  the  armies  of  the 
Lamanites  when  they  invaded  Zarahemla.  Its 
exacft  boundaries  are  not  defined;  indeed,  it  is 
altogether  probable  that  they  varied  considerably 
at  different  periods  of  Nephite  history.  However, 
it  is  evident  that  it  was  the  most  southerly  of 
all  the  lands  inhabited  by  the  Nephites,  in  the 
western  half  of  the  South  American  continent, 
after  they  had  moved  from  the  land   of  Nephi. 

MARY.  The  mother  of  Jesus  Christ.  She 
is  twice  mentioned  by  name  in  the  prophecies  of 
the  ancient  Nephite  worthies.  King  Benjamin  in 
prophesying  to  his  people  of  the  coming  of  the 
Redeemer  (B.  C.  125)  said,  "He  shall  be  called 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the.  Father  of 
heaven  and  earth,  the  Creator  of  all  things 
from  the  beginning,  and  his  mother  shall  be 
called  Mary."  (Mosiah,  3:  8.)  Alma,  the  youn- 
ger, in  his  preaching  to  the  people  of  Gideon 
(B.  C.  83)  declared  that  Jesus  should  "be  born 
of  Mary  *****  ^^^  being  a  virgin,  a 
precious  and  chosen  vessel,  who  shall  be  over- 
shadowed, and  conceive  by  the  power  of  the 
Holv  Ghost,  and  bring  forth  a  son,  yea,  even 
the"'Son  of  God."  (Alma,  7:  10.)  She  was  also 
shown  to  Nephi  in  a  vision  (B.  C.  600),  though 
not  mentioned  by  him  b^^  name.  He  records : 
"I  beheld  the  city  of  Nazareth;  and  in  the  city 
of  Nazareth  I  beheld  a  virgin,  and  she  was 
exceedingly  fair  and  white."  Of  this  virgin  an 
angel  tells  him:  "The  virgin  whom  thou  seest, 
is  the  mother  of  the  Son  of  God,  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  flesh."  Further  on  he  states:  "I  looked 
and  beheld  the  virgin  again,  bearing  a  child  in 
her  arms.  And  the  angel  said  unto  me,  Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God,  vea,  even  the  Son  of  the 
Eternal  Father!"    (I  Nephi,   11:   13—21). 


(9 


Mathoni.  234  Melchizedek. 

MATHONI.  One  of  the  twelve  Disciples, 
called  and  chosen  by  Jesus  to  minister  to  the  Ne- 
phites,  at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  that  people  (A. 
C.  34).  Mathoni  was  present  near  the  temple 
in  the  land  Bonntiftil,  when  Jesus  appeared,  and 
was  baptized  by  Nephi  on  the  day  following.  He 
is  not  again  mentioned  by  name  in  the  sacred 
record.  His  brother  Mathonihah  was  also  one  of 
the  Nephite  Twelve. 

MATHONIHAH,  One  of  the  twelve  Dis- 
ciples called  and  chosen  by  Jesus  to  minister  to  the 
Nephi tes  at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  that  people 
(A.  C.  34).  Mathonihah  was  present  near  the 
temple  in  theland  Bountiful,  when  Jesus  appeared, 
and  was  baptized  by  Nephi  on  the  day  following. 
He  is  not  again  mentioned  by  name  in  the  sacred 
record.  His  brother,  Mathoni,  was  also  one  of  the 
Nephite  Twelve. 

MATTHEW.  The  Jewish  Apostle.  He  is 
not  mentioned  in  the  text  of  the  Book  of  Mormon; 
but  reference  is  made  to  him  in  the  heading  of 
chapters  12,  13  and  14  of  HI  Nephi,  as  much  that 
appears  in  these  chapters  is  also  found  in  Matthew, 
chapters  5,  6  and  7. 

MEDES.  The  people  of  Medea,  a  country  of 
western  Asia,  lying  to  the  northwest  of  Persia. 
The  name  occurs  but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
in  a  quotation  from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  (H 
Nephi,  23:  17). 

MELCHIZEDEK.  The  great  high  priest, 
who  was  king  of  Salem,  and  to  whom  Abraham 
paid  tithes.  The  Book  of  Mormon  gives  many 
details  of  his  life  not  contained  in  the  Bible. 
Among  other  things  we  are  told  "this  Melchizedek 
was  a  king  over  the  land  of  Salem  :  and  his  people 
had  waxed  strong  in  iniquity  and  abominations; 
yea,  they  had  all  gone  astray:  they  were  full  of  all 
manner  cf  wickedness;  but  Melchizedek,  having 
exercised  mighty  faith,  and  received  the  office  of 
the  High  Priesthood,  according  to  the  holy  order 


Metals.  235  Middoni. 

of  God,  did  preach  repentance  unto  his  people. 
And  behold,  they  did  repent;  and  Melchizedek  did 
establish  peace  in  the  land  in  his  days ;  therefore 
he  was  called  the  prince  of  peace,  for  he  was  the 
king  of  Salem;  and  he  did  reign  under  his  father. 
Now,  there  were  many  before  him,  and  also  there 
were  many  afterwards,  but  none  were  greater; 
therefore  of  him  they  have  more  particularly 
made  mention."     (Alma,  13:  17 — 19.) 

"^  METALS.  The  metals  named  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  are  Brass,  Copper,  Gold,  Iron,  Lead, 
Silver,  Steel,  and  Ziff. 

■^  MICHMASH.  A  town  belonging  to  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin,  about  9  miles  north  of  Jerusa- 
lem. It  is  mentioned  but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon (II  Nep'hi,  20:  28),  in  a  quotation  from  the 
writings  of  Isaiah. 

MIDDONI.  A  land  of  the  Lamanites.  Here 
Aaron,  Muloki,  and  Ammah  were  imprisoned,  and 
treated  w^ith  great  cruelty  by  its  sin-hardened  in- 
habitants. Diredled  by  the  revelations  of  God, 
Ammon,  then  in  the  land  of  Ishmael,  determined 
to  go  and  deliver  his  brethren.  Lamoni,  (he  con- 
verted king  of  that  land,  decided  to  accompany 
him,  as  he  believed  he  had  influence  sufficient  with 
Antiomno,  king  of  Middoni,  to  obtain  the  release 
of  the  imprisoned  missionaries.  (B.  C.  86.)  On 
their  way,  Ammon  and  Lamoni  met  the  latter's 
father,   the  supreme  ruler  of  all  the   Lamanites, 

journeying  from  the  land  of  Nephi  (Lehi-Nephi)  to 
the  land  of  Ishmael.  From  the  circumstance  of 
this  meeting  it  is  presumable  that  Middoni  lay 
somewhere  between  Ishmael  and  Nephi,  and  as  it 
is  spoken  of  as  down,  it  was  probably  situated  in 
some  of  the  lower  valleys,  or  north  towards  the 
wilderness  that  separated  the  lands  of  Nephi  and 
Zarahemla.  Arrived  at  the  land  of  Middoni, 
Lamoni  found  favor  with  Antiomno  and  procured 
the  release  of  Aaron  and  his  associates.  Though 
they  had  at  first  so  cruelly  treated   the  Nephite 


Midian.  236  Moab. 

missionaries,  the  Lamanites  of  this  land  were 
among  those  who  were  converted  to  the  Lord  by 
their  ministrations.     (Alma,  23:  10.) 

MIDIAN.  The  Midianites,  descendants  of 
Midian,  the  son  of  Abraham  and  Keturah.  They 
dwelt  principally  in  the  desert  north  of  the  penin- 
sula of  Arabia.  Midian  is  mentioned  but  once  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  a  quotation  from  the 
writings  of  Isaiah.     (II  Nephi,  20:  26.) 

MIDIAN.  A  land  of  the  Lamanites.  It  is 
mentioned  but  once  in  the  sacred  record,  and  then 
as  the  appointed  meeting  place  of  the  sons  of 
Mosiah  and  fellow  missionaries,  who  assembled  to 
consult  as  to  the  best  means  to  adopt  to  preserve 
the  converted  Lamanites  from  the  murderous  per- 
secutions of  their  fellow  countrymen.  (B.C.  82.) 
From  Midian  the  missionaries  went  to  the  land  of 
Ishmael,  to  hold  a  council  with  Anti-Lehi-Nephi 
and  Lamoni. 

MIGRON.  A  place  disturbed  by  Sennacherib's 
approach  to  Jerusalem.  Its  exadl  situation  is  not 
known.  The  name  occurs  but  once  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  (II  Nephi,  20:  28),  in  a  quotation  from 
the  writings  of  Isaiah. 

MINON.  A  land  of  the  Nephites,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Sidon,  and  a  day  and  a  half  journe\^ 
south  of  the  city  of  Zarahemla.  (Alma  2 :  24. ) 
In  B.C. 87  an  invading  host  of  the  Lamanites  were 
here  joined  by  the  defeated  followers  of  Amlici,  and 
as  they  marched  northward  they  ravaged  the 
country  through  which  they  passed,  the  inhabit- 
ants fleeing  before  them  with  their  families  and 
flocks.  Alma  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  fugitives, 
and  in  a  desperate  battle  defeated  the  allied 
armies.  Minon  is  only  mentioned  in  conne(?tion 
with  this  invasion.  Elder  Orson  Pratt  calls  it 
about  two  days  journey  south  of  Zarahemla. 

MOAB.  The  Moabites,  descendants  of  Lot. 
Their  home  was  the  country  east  of  the  valley  of 
the  Dead  Sea.    This  name  only  occurs  in  the  Book 


L^ 


Mocum.  237  Morianton. 

of   Alormon  in   a  quotation  from   the    words  of 
Isaiah.     (II  Nephi,  21:  14.) 

MOCUM.  A  sin-stained  city,  mentioned  but 
once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (III  Nephi,  9:  7), 
and  then  in  connedlion  with  its  destrudlion  at  the 
time  of  the  crucifixion  of  the  Savior.  It  sank  into 
the  earth,  and  waters  came  up  in  its  place,  that  the 
wickedness  and  abominations  of  its  inhabitants 
might  be  hidden  from  the  sight  of  Heaven,  and  that 
the  blood  of  the  prophets  and  saints  might  not 
come  up  any  more  before  the  Lord  against  them. 
No  clue  is  given  to  the  region  where  Mocum  was 
situated. 

MORIANCUMER,  LAND  OF.  The 
place  on  the  shore  of  the  great  ocean  where  Jared 
and  his  people  tarried  four  years  before  crossing 
to  America.  It  was  evidently  named  after  the 
brother  of  Jared  (Mahonri  Moriancumer).  Here 
the  Lord  Jesus  appeared  to  him  and  gave  him 
many  glorious  revelations;  and  here,  by  Divine 
command,  the  company  built  the  eight  barges 
which  carried  them  across  the  ocean.  We  have  nd^ 
diredl  information  in  regard  to  the  locality  of 
Moriancumer,  but  those  who  believe  that  the 
Jaredites  traveled  eastward  through  Central  Asia, 
are  of  the  opinion  that  it  was  near  the  mouth  of 
one  of  the  great  rivers  that  flow  through  the 
Chinese  empire  into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

MORIANTON.  The  founder  of  the  city 
called  b^^  his  name,  and  the  leader  of  its  citizens. 
Morianton  appears  to  have  been  a  wicked,  pas- 
sionate, self-willed,  avaricious  man,  and  the  first 
notice  we  have  of  him  (B.  C.  68),  grow^s  out  of 
a  contention  that  arose  between  his  people  and 
those  of  the  neighboring  city  of  Lehi.  Morian- 
ton claimed  for  his  people  some  of  the  land 
lying  between  the  two  cities,  then  in  possession 
of  the  Lehites,  and  so  determined  was  he  to 
carry  his  point,  that  he  negledled  all  peaceable 
methods  of  settling  the  diflBculty,  and  appealed  to 


et^ 


Morianton.  238 

the  dread  arbitrament  of  the  sword.  The  people 
of  Lehi,  whose  cause  was  just,  fled  to  Moroni,  the 
Nephite  coinmander-in-chief,  and  asked  his  help. 
When  Morianton  learned  of  this  move,  knowing 
that  he  was  in  the  wrong,  and  fearing  the  strength 
of  Moroni,  he  persuaded  his  people  to  flee  to  the 
land  northward.  He  would  probably  have  carried 
his  plan  into  efiedl,  had  it  not  been  for  his  ungov- 
ernable temper.  In  a  fit  of  passion  he  cruelly  beat 
one  of  his  maid  servants^  who  ran  away  to  the 
camp  of  Moroni  and  told  the  latter  of  the  secret 
intentions  of  Morianton  and  his  people.  Such  an 
exodus  was  very  repugnant  to  Moroni's  feelings 
and  judgment.  He  feared  to  have  a  hostile 
people  in  the  north,  who,  in  times  of  war  with  the 
Lamanites,  could  harass  the  Nephite  rear.  He 
therefore  detailed  Teancum,  with  an  army  corps, 
to  head  the  people  of  Morianton,  and  stop  their 
flight  northward.  This  the  latter  was  not  able  to 
accomplish  until  they  had  reached  the  borders  of 
Desolation,  at  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  Here 
a  battle  took  place,  for  so  great  was  the  power  of 
Morianton  over  his  people,  that,  by  his  flattery 
and  wickedness,  he  filled  them  with  the  spirit  of 
stubbornness  to  such  an  extent  that  they  forcibly 
resisted  the  armies  of  the  Commonwealth.  In  the 
battle  that  ensued,  their  leader  was  slain  by  Tean- 
carn,  his  hosts  defeated,  and  those  not  slain  were 
taken  prisoners  and  carried  back  to  the  camp  of 
Moroni.  Here  the  difficulties  were  investigated  and 
settled  amicably.  Upon  their  covenanting  to 
keep  the  peace,  they  were  restored  to  their  lands, 
and  a  union  was  effected  between  them  and  the 
citizens  of  Lehi,  who  also  returned  to  their  pos- 
sessions . 

MORIANTOIN'.  A  king  of  the  Jaredites.  It 
appears  that  Riplakish,  a  monarch  of  that  race, 
became  so  obnoxious  to  his  people  on  account  of 
his  tyranny  and  abominations,  that  they  rose  in 
rebellion,  slew  him  and  drove  his  descendants  out 


239  Morianton,  City  of. 

of  the  land.  After  many  years,  one  of  these  des- 
cendants, named  Morianton,  gathered  an  army 
of  outcasts  and  invaded  the  Jaredite  country. 
The  war  that  followed  was  an  exceedingly  severe 
one  and  lasted  a  number  of  years.  One  by  one 
the  cities  of  the  Jaredites  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Morianton,  until  he  had  made  himself  master  of 
the  entire  country.  When  established  in  power,  he 
conciliated  the  people  by  lightening  their  burdens, 
so  that  they  anointed  him  king.  During  his  mild 
though  energetic  reign  the  people  were  greatly 
prospered,  man3^  new  cities  were  built,  and  the 
nation  grew  exceedingly  rich.  He  lived  to  a  very 
great  age,  and  when  too  old  to  hold  the  reins  of 
government,  he  abdicated  in  favor  of  his  son  Kim, 
Morianton  surviving  this  adlion  eight  years.  His 
charadler  is  thus  summarized  in  the  Book  of 
Ether:  "he  did  do  justice  unto  the  people,  but  not 
unto  himself,  because  of  his  many  whoredoms ; 
wherefore  he  was  cut  off  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord." 

MORIANTON,  CITY  OF,  The  city  built  by 
Morianton  in  the  land  of  the  same  name.  After  the 
settlement  of  the  quarrel  (B.  C.  68),  between  its 
people  and  those  of  the  land  of  Lehi,  we  next  read 
that  it  was  captured  by  the  Lamanite  armies 
under  Amalickiah.  (B.  C.  67.)  By  B.  C.  63  the 
Lamanites  had  made  it  a  very  strong  place,  and 
stationed  a  heavy  garrison  therein,  with  large 
quantities  of  provisions.  In  this  year  Moroni 
made  preparations  to  recapture,  it  but  whether 
he  succeeded  at  that  time,  or  not  until  later,  is  not 
clear  from  the  record.  We  think  it  is  probable 
that  owing  to  the  rebellion  at  Zarahemla,  headed 
by  Pachus,  which  demanded  Moroni's  presence 
there,  that  he  did  not  retake  Morianton  until  B. 
B.  61,  when  the  neighboring  city  of  Lehi  was  cap- 
tured, and  also  all  the  other  cities  in  the  hands  of 
the  Lamanites,  except  Moroni.  (Alma,  chapter 
62.) 


Morianton,  Land  of.  240  Mormon. 

MORIANTOIV,  LAND  OF.  A  small  sedlion 
of  the  Nephite  possessions,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Caribbean  Sea.  It  was  first  settled  by  a  man 
named  Morianton  in  the  days  of  the  judges  (about 

B.  C.  72).  The  only  thing  known  of  its  history  is 
the  unrighteous  quarrel  of  its  inhabitants  with 
their  neighbors,  the  people  of  the  land  of  Lehi  (B. 

C.  68),  their  attempt  to  escape  to  the  north,  and 
their  detention  and  forced  return  home  by  the 
armies  of  the  Commonwealth.  (Alma,  chapter 
50.) 

MOKIANTUM,  LAND  OF.  A  land  of  the 
Nephites,  only  mentioned  once,  and  then  in  Mor- 
mon's second  epistle  to  his  son  (Moroni,  9:9).  It 
appears  that  towards  the  close  of  the  last  great 
war  between  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites,  both 
races  had  descended  to  the  most  horrid,  cruel  and 
disgusting  pradlices;  and  in  this  the  Nephites,  if 
possible,  exceeded  their  foes.  Among  those  who 
had  become  utterly  degraded,  were  the  people  of 
Moriantum.  Mormon  records  that  they  had 
grown  like  unto  wild  beasts  in  their  habits ;  that 
they  first  defiled  the  Lamanitish  maidens  whom 
they  took  prisoners,  then  slowly  tortured  them  to 
death,  and  after  they  were  dead  devoured  their 
flesh,  and  this  as  a  token  of  bravery.  Surely 
human  nature  could  scarcely  descend  to  greater 
depths  of  infamy  and  cruelty  than  this. 

MORMON.  The  father  of  Mormon,  and 
grandfather  of  Moroni.  He  appears  to  have  re- 
sided in  the  northern  continent  until  A.  C.  322, 
when  he  took  his  son,  Mormon,  into  the  land 
southward.  Nothing  is  known  of  his  private  life, 
and  all  that  we  are  told  of  him  is  that  he  was  a 
descendant  of  Nephi,  (Mormon,  1:5);  but 
judging  from  the  great  virtue  exhibited  by  the 
younger  Mormon  in  his  boyhood,  we  are  led  to 
believe  that  he  was  a  man  who  trained  his  chil- 
dren in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  taught  them  the 
truths  of  the  gospel 


241  Mormon. 

MORMON.  The  last  great  prophet-general 
of  the  Nephite  race,  but  better  known  to  us  as 
the  custodian  and  compiler  of  the  records  of  his 
people,  and  the  writer  of  the  greater  portion  of 
the  work  named  after  him,  and  known  as  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  The  father  of  Mormon,  who 
was  a  descendant  of  Nephi,  bore  the  same  name, 
and  his  illustrious  son  was  born  on  the  northern 
continent  (A.  C.  311),  but  when  the  latter  was 
eleven  years  of  age  they  both  traveled  south  to 
Zarahemla.  Before  his  departure  south,  Mormon 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  Atnmaron,  the  keeper 
of  the  sacred  records,  which,  because  of  the  in- 
iquity of  the  people,  he  had  hidden  in  a  hill  in  the 
land  Antum.  After  he  had  hidden  them  up,  he 
informed  Mormon,  then  a  child  ten  years  old,  of 
what  he  had  done,  and  placed  the  buried  treasures 
in  his  charge.  He  instructed  Mormon  to  go,  when 
he  was  about  tw^enty-four  years  old,  to  the  hill 
where  they  were  hid,  and  take  the  plates  of  Nephi 
and  record  thereon  what  he  had  observed  con- 
cerning the  people.  The  remainder  of  the  records, 
etc.,  he  was  to  leave  v^here  they  w^ere. 

It  was  in  the  year  322  A.  C.  that  a(?tual  war 
broke  out  between  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites 
for  the  first  time  since  the  Redeemer's  appearing., 
A  number  of  battles  were  fought,  in  which  the 
armies  of  the  former  were  victorious.  Four 
years  later  the  savage  contest  was  renewed.  In 
the  interim,  iniquity  had  greatly  increased.  As 
foretold  by  the  prophets,  men's  property  became 
slippery,  things  movable  were  siibjedl  to  unac- 
countable disappearances,  and  dread  and  distrust 
filled  the  hearts  of  the  disobedient.  When  the 
war  recommenced,  the  youthful  Mormon,  then 
fifteen  years  old,  was  chosen  to  lead  the  armies  of 
his  nation. 

The  next  year  saw  disaster  follow  the  Nephite 
cause.  That  people  retreated  before  the  Laman- 
ites to  the  north  countries.     The  year  following 

Q 


Mormon.  242 

they  met  with  still  further  reverses,  and  by  A.  C. 
329,  rapine,  revolution  arid  carnage  prevailed 
throughout  all  the  land. 

In  A.  C.  330,  the  Lamanite  king,  Aaron,  with 
an  army  of  forty -four  thousand  men,  was  defeated 
by  Mormon,  who  had  forty-two  thousand  war- 
riors under  his  command. 

Five  years  later  the  Lamanites  drove  the  de- 
generate Nephites  to  the  land  of  Jashon,and  thence 
yet  farther  northward  to  the  land  of  Shem.  But 
in  the  year  following  the  tide  of  vidlory  changed, 
and  Mormon,  with  thirty-  thousand  troops,  de- 
feated fifty  thousand  of  the  enemy  in  the  land  of 
Shem ;  this  he  followed  up  with  such  energetic 
measures  that  by  the  year  A.  C.  349  the  Nephites 
had  again  taken  possession  of  the  lands  of  their 
inheritance. 

These  successes  resulted  in  a  treaty  between 
the  Nephites  as  one  party,  and  the  Lamanites  and 
Gadianton  robbers  as  the  other.  By  its  pro- 
visions the  Nephites  possessed  the  country  north 
of  the  Isthmus,  while  the  Lamanites  held  the 
regions  south.  A  peace  of  ten  years  followed 
this  treaty. 

In  the  year  A.  C,  360,  the  king  of  the  Laman- 
•ites  again  declared  war.  To  repel  the  expec?ted  in- 
vasion, the  people  of  Nephi  gathered  at  the  land  of 
Desolation.  There  the  Lamanites  attacked  them, 
were  defeated,  and  returned  home.  Not  content 
with  this  repulse,  the  succeeding  year  they  made 
another  inroad  into  the  northern  country,  and 
were  again  repulsed.  The  Nephites  then  took  the 
initiative  and  invaded  the  southern  continent, 
but  being  unsuccessful ,  were  driven  back  to  their 
frontier  at  Desolation  (A.  C.  363).  The  same 
season,  the  city  of  Desolation  was  captured  by 
the  Lamanitish  warriors,  but  was  wrested  from 
them  the  year  following. 

This  state  of  things  continued  another  twenty 
years;  war,  contention,  rapine,  pillage,   and   all 


24vS  Mormon,  Forest  of. 

the  horrors  incident  to  the  letting  loose  of  men's 
most  depraved  and  brutal  passions,  filled  theland. 
Sometimes  one  army  conquered,  sometimes  the 
other.  Now  it  was  the  Nephites  who  were 
pouring  their  forces  into  the  south ;  then  the 
Lamanites  who  were  overflowing  the  north. 
Whichever  side  triumphed,  that  triumph  was  of 
short  duration,  but  to  all  it  meant  sacrifice,  cruelty, 
bloodshed  and  woe.  At  last,  when  every  nerve 
had  been  strained  for  conquest,  every  man  en- 
listed who  could  be  found,  the  two  vast  hosts, 
with  unquenchable  hatred  and  unrelenting  ob- 
stinacy, met  at  the  hill  Cumorah  to  decide  the  des- 
tiny of  half  the  world.  It  was  the  final  struggle, 
which  was  to  end  in  the  extermination  of  one  or 
both  of  the  races  that  had  conjointly  inhabited 
America  for  nearly  a  thousand  years  (A.  C.  385). 
When  the  days  of  that  last  fearful  struggle  were 
ended,  all  but  twenty-four  of  the  Nephite  race 
had  been,  by  the  hand  of  violence,  swept  into  un- 
timely graves,  save  a  few,  a  very  few,w"ho  had  fled 
into  the  south  country.  Two  of  that  twenty-four 
were  Mormon  and  his  son  Moroni,  but  the  latter 
tells  us  (A.  C.  400)  that  his  father  had  been  killed 
by  tlie  Lamanites,  who  hunted  and  slew  every 
solitary  fugitive  of  the  house  of  Nephi  that  they 
could  find.  The  horrors  of  this  war  are  graphic- 
ally told  by  Mormon  in  his  second  epistle  to  his 
son  Moroni.  Mormon  was  as  great  a  religious 
teacher  as  he  was  a  soldier.  His  annotations 
throughout  his  compilation  of  the  sacred  records 
show  this,  as  do  also  his  instru6lions  and  epistles 
to  his  son.  Shortly  before  the  great  final  struggle 
near  Cumorah,  Mormon  hid  all  the  records  en- 
trusted to  his  care  in  that  hill,  save  the  abridged 
records  which  he  gave  to  his  son  Moroni. 

MORMON,  FOREST  OF.  The  thicket  of 
trees,  near  the  waters  of  Mormon,  in  which  the 
persecuted  believers  in  Abinadi's  mission  and 
Alma's  teachings  sought  refuge  from  the  persecu- 


Mormon,  Land  of.     244  Moron 

.     tions   of  king  Noah  and   their  fellow  citizens   of 

Lehi-Nephi  (about,  B.  C.  150). 
^  MOKMON,  LAND  OF.  The  region  near 
•^the  cit}^  of  Lehi-Nephi,  where  Alma,  the  elder, 
gathered  and  ministered  to  those  who  accepted 
his  gospel  teachings.  (Say  B.  C.  150.)  It  was 
admirably  adapted  for  this  purpose,  having  a 
small  forest  in  which  the  fugitives  could  hide  from 
the  forces  of  king  Noah,  and  a  fountain  of  pure 
water  in  which  they  could  be  baptized.  In  this 
neighborhood,  in  later  years  (about  B.  C.  90), 
Nephite  apostates  and  Lamanites  built  a  large 
citv,  which  thev  called  Jerusalem. 

MORMON,  PLACE  OF.  See  Land  of 
Mormon. 

MORMON,  WATERS  OF.  The  fountain 
of  pure  water  in  the  land  of  Mormon  in  which 
Alma,  the  elder,  baptized  the  penitent  believers 
from  Lehi-Nephi  who  accepted  the  teachings  of  the 
gospel.  The  first  man  baptized  by  Alma,  was 
Helam  (Mosiah  18:13),  and  when  he  performed 
this  ordinance  x\lma  buried  himself  in  the  water 
also,  but  did  not  again  immerse  himself  when  he 
baptized  others.  In  all,  he  baptized  two  hundred 
and  four  souls,  or  thereabouts,  in  these  waters. 
On  their  borders  he  organized  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  ordained  priests,  one  to  every  fifty 
members. 

MORON.  One  of  the  last  and  most  wicked 
kings  of  the  Jaredites;  his  father,  Ethem,  also 
ruled  in  unrighteousness.  During  this  reign  the 
Gadianton-like  bands,  which  at  that  time  flour- 
ished among  the  Jaredites,  led  a  rebellion  against 
the  king  and  succeeded  in  wresting  from  him  half 
the  kingdom;  but  after  many  years  Moron  suc- 
ceeded in  reconquering  his  lost  provinces.  Soon 
after,  a  descendant  of  the  brother  of  Jared,  who  is 
described  as  "  a  mighty  man,"  headed  another 
revolution  against  Moron,  and  v^as  so  successful 
that  he  took  possession  of  the  whole  of  the  king- 


Moron.  245  Moroni. 

dom,  and  held  Moron  in  captivity  all  the  rest  of 
his  days.  In  captivity  Moron  begat  Coriantor, 
who  was  the  father  of  the  prophet  Ether.  Moron, 
in  all  probability,  lived  in  the  seventh  century  B. 
C. 

MOKON.  The  land  where  the  Jaredites  made 
their  first  settlements.  It  was  north  of  the  land 
called  Desolation  by  the  Nephites,  and  consequent- 
ly in  some  part  of  the  region  which  we  know  as 
Central  America.  It  appears  to  have  been  for 
a  lengthy  period,  if  not  during  the  whole  of 
their  existence,  the  seat  of  government,  the  resi- 
dence of  the  reigning  monarch,  and  the  centre  of 
Jaredite  civilization.  In  the  numerous  fratricidal 
wars  that  disgraced  the  annals  of  the  race,  Moron 
was,  more  than  any  other  land,  the  chief  seat  of 
war ;  for  here  the  revolutionists  attacked  the  king, 
and  when  successful  drove  him  thence.  (See  Cori- 
hor,  Moriancumer,  etc. ) 

MORONI.  One  of  the  greatest  Nephite  proph- 
ets and  military  commanders.  He  was  born  in  •%  g^4 
Zarahemla,  about  the  year  B.  C.  100.  At  the  age  '*'  / 
of  twenty-five  he  had  risen  to  the  supreme  com-  ^X*-< 
mand  of  the  forces  of  the  commonwealth.  At  that 
time  an  army  of  the  Lamanites,  commanded  by  a 
man  named  Zerahemnah  (B.  C.  75)  was  threatening 
the  land  of  Jershon,  having,  by  lihe  invitation  of  the 
apostate  Zoramites,  occupied  the  land  of  Antio- 
num.  Moroni  sent  to  Alma,  the  High  Priest  and 
President  of  the  Church,  to  inquire  the  mind  and 
will  of  the  Lord,  and  having  received  that  word, 
carried  it  into  effect.  The  Lamanites,  having  found 
Moroni  too  w^ell  prepared  for  them,  retreated 
southward  towards  the  land  of  Manti.  Moroni 
left  a  portion  of  his  forces  to  protect  Jershon,  and 
with  the  rest  proceeded  towards  Manti  by  the 
most  diredt  route.  The  opposing  armies  met  near 
the  river  Sidon  ;  one  of  the  most  obstinately  con- 
tested battles  in  Nephite  history  was  fought,  and 
Zerahemnah  was  disastrouslv  defeated.    After  this 


Moroni.  246 

battle  there  was  a  short  period  of  peace,  but  soon 
internal  dissensions,  caused  by  the  intrigues  of  roy- 
alists and  apostates,  led  by  one  Amalickiah,  con- 
vulsed the  Nephite  community.  Moroni  rose  to 
greatness  with  the  peril  of  the  hour.  By  his  patri- 
otic appeal  he  roused  the  whole  Nephite  nation. 
He  tore  off  a  portion  of  his  coat,  and  naming  it  the 
Title  of  Liberty,  sent  it  far  and  wnde  through  the 
cities  of  his  countrymen,  that  they  might  see  the 
appeal  he  had  inscribed  thereon.  It  read:  "In 
memory  of  our  God,  our  religion,  and  freedom, 
and  our  peace,  our  wives  and  our  children." 

The  call  was  not  in  vain:  the  hosts  of  the  pa- 
triots rallied  to  his  standard.  Amalickiah,  hearing 
the  news  of  this  great  awakening,  faltered  in  his 
purpose,  his  followers  lost  heart,  and  retreat  was 
deemed  the  fittest  show  of  wisdom,  and  discretion 
the  better  part  of  valor.  By  Moroni's  vigilance 
their  retreat  was  cut  oif,  the  rebels  surrendered, 
Amalickiah  fled  for  safety  to  the  Lamanites,  and 
the  "Title  of  Liberty"  continued  to  float  uninter- 
ruptedly from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coast,  as 
far  as  Nephi's  children  ruled  or  Nephite  homes 
w^ere  found. 

Amalickiah  retired  to  the  court  of  the  king 
of  the  Lamanites,  and  with  the  cunning  and  in- 
genuity of  a  demon,  worked  himself  on  to  that 
throne,  while  at  the  same  time  he  was  plotting 
an  invasion  of  the  Nephite  country.  Moroni,  in 
the  meanwhile  was  not  idle;  he  reorganized  the 
Nephite  armies,  compelled  more  stringent  discip- 
line, introduced  new  tallies,  inaugurated  a  greatly 
superior  system  of  fortification,  built  towers  and 
citadels,  and  altogether  placed  the  defensive  pow- 
ers of  the  Commonwealth  on  a  new  and  stronger 
footing.  The  Lamanites,  who  appear  to  have 
developed  no  capacity  for  originating,  but  were 
apt  in  copying,  also,  in  course  of  time,  adopted 
defensive  armor,  and  when  they  captured  a  weak 
Nephite    city    they  frequently   made  it  a  strong- 


247  Moroni. 

hold  by  surrounding  it  with  ditches  and  walls, 
after  the  system  introduced  and  put  into  execution 
by  Moroni. 

The  foundation  of  Moroni's  system  of  fortifi- 
cations was  earthworks  encircling  the  place  to  be 
defended.  The  earth  was  dug  from  the  outside, 
by  which  means  a  ditch  was  formed.  Sometimes 
walls  of  stone  were  eredled.  On  the  top  of  the 
earthworks  strong  defenses  of  wood,  sometimes 
breastworks,  in  some  cases  to  the  full  height  of  a 
man,  were  raised;  and  above  these  a  stockade  of 
strong  pickets  was  built  to  arrest  the  flight  of 
the  stones  and  arrows  of  the  attacking  forces. 
Behind  these  walls,  towers  were  raised  at  various 
convenient  points,  from  which  observations  of  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  were  taken,  and  wherein 
corps  of  archers  and  slingers  were  stationed  dur- 
ing the  adlual  continuance  of  the  battle.  From 
their  elevated  and  commanding  position  these 
bodies  of  soldiers  could  do  great  injury  to  the  at- 
tacking force. 

In  B.  C.  73,  Amalickiah  commenced  adlive 
hostilities.  He  raised  an  immense  army,  and, 
placing  it  under  the  direction  of  Zoramite  com- 
manders, ordered  its  advance  into  the  western 
possessions  of  the  Nephites,  in  which  region  stood 
the  cities  of  Noah  and  Ammonihah.  When  the  in- 
vaders reached  the  last  named  city  they  found  it 
too  strongly  fortified  to  be  taken  by  assault; 
they  therefore  retired  to  Noah,  originally  a  very 
weak  place,  but  now,  through  Moroni's  foresight 
and  energy,  made  stronger  than  Ammonihah.  The 
Zoramite  officers  well  knew  that  to  return  home 
without  having  attempted  something  would  be 
most  disastrous,  they  therefore,  though  with  little 
hope,  made  an  assault  upon  Noah.  This  step  re- 
sulted in  throwing  away  a  thousand  lives  outside 
its  walls,  while  its  well-prote(5led  defenders  had 
but  fifty  men  wounded.  After  this  disastrous  at- 
tempt, the  Lamanites  marched  home.    Great  was 


Moroni.  248 

the' anger  of  Amalickiah  at  the  miscarriage  of 
his  schemes ;  he  cursed  God  and  swore  he  would 
yet  drink  the  blood  of  Moroni. 

During  the  next  year  the  armies  of  Moroni 
drove  the  Lamanites  out  of  that  portion  of  the 
east  wilderness  bordering  on  the  land  of  Zara- 
hemla  into  their  own  lands.  The  northern  line  or 
boundary  of  the  latter  ran  in  a  [straight  course 
from  the  sea  east  to  the  west.  The  Lamanites 
having  been  driven  out  of  those  portions  of  the 
wilderness  north  of  the  dividing  line,  colonies  of 
Nephites  were  sent  to  occupy  the  country  and 
build  cities  on  their  southern  border,  even  to  the 
Atlantic  coast.  To  protect  the  new  settlers,  Mo- 
roni placed  troops  all  along  this  line,  and  caused 
them  to  eredl  fortifications  for  the  better  defense 
of  the  frontier.  This  fortified  line  ran  from  the 
west  sea  (the  Pacific  Ocean)  by  the  head  of  the 
river  Sidon  (the  Magdalena)  eastward  along  the 
northern  edge  of  the  wilderness. 

A  few  years  of  peace  now  followed,  disturbed 
only  by  a  serious  local  quarrel  between  the  people 
inhabiting  the  cities  of  Morianton  and  Lehi 
(B.   C.   68). 

In  the  following  year  (B.  C.  67),  Amalickiah 
commenced  a  devastating  invasion  of  the  Atlantic 
provinces  of  the  Nephites.  Commencing  at  Moroni, 
on  the  extreme  southeast,  he  gradually  advanced 
northward,  capturing  and  garrisoning  all  the 
Nephite  cities  until  he  reached  the  land  Bountiful. 
There  a  stop  was  put  to  his  progress  by  the 
forces  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  he  himself  was 
slain  by  Teancum.  His  advance  corps  then 
retired  a  short  distance  to  the  south  and  gar- 
risoned the  neighboring  city  of  Mulek.  In  this 
condition  matters  remained  for  some  time,  but 
in  B.  C.  64,  Moroni,  with  the  assistance  of 
his  lieutenants,  defeated  the  Lamanites  command- 
ed by  Jacob,  and  recaptured  the  city  of  Mulek, 
which   vidlory   was  slowly  followed  by  the  recon- 


249  Moroni. 

quest   of  all   the  lands  and  cities   on  the  Atlantic 
vSeaboard. 

In  the  southwest,  matters  had  also  gone 
disastrously  for  the  Nephites,  and  the  forces  of 
the  republic  in  that  region  were  greatly  ham- 
pered for  lack  of  provisions,  and  the  non-arrival 
of  expedled  reinforcements.  Affairs  were  greatly 
complicated  at  this  time  by  a  royalist  rising 
in  the  city  of  Zarahemla,  under  a  leader  named 
Pachus.  Pahoraiiy  the  chief  judge,  was  driven  out 
of  the  capital,  and  communication  opened  with 
the  Lamanites.  At  the  request  of  Pahoran,  Mo- 
roni, with  a  portion  of  his  forces,  went  to  the 
aid  of  the  government  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  leaving  the  armies  in  the  northeast  un- 
der the  command  of  Lehi  and  Teancum.  As  he 
advanced  he  rallied  the  people  on  his  line  of 
march  to  the  defense  of  the  liberties  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  was  so  successful  that,  after  having 
joined  Pahoran,  he  succeeded  in  overthrowing  the 
"king-men."  killing  their  leader,  Pachus,  and 
completeh^  crushing  the  rebellion.  This  being  ac- 
complished, he  sent  6,000  men,  with  the  neces- 
sarv  provisions,  to  reinforce /fe/a/n/jn  in  the  south- 
west  (B.   C.   61). 

The  campaign  during  this  year,  along  the 
Atlantic  coast,  was  a  decisive  one.  At  last  the 
Lamanites  were  driven  out  of  Omner,  Morian- 
ton,  Gid,  Lehi,  Nephihah,  Moroni,  and  every  other 
Nephite  city  on  that  sea-board,  and  the  lands 
of  the  Nephites  were  free  from  the  foot  of  the 
foe.  A  long- continued  peace  followed,  for  both 
nations  were  exhausted. 

In  (B.  C.  56)  the  valiant  Moroni,  one  of  the 
greatest  and  most  virtuous  of  God's  sons,  pass- 
ed awa3'  from  this  state  of  mortality  to  the 
glories  of  eternity,  at  the  early  age  of  forty-three 
years.  Some  time  before  his  death  he  had  given 
the  chief  command  of  the  armies  of  the  Nephites 
to  his  son,  Moronihah,   who,   from  the  historv  of 


Moroni.  250 

later  years,  we  judge  to  have  been  a  worthy 
son   of  so  illustrious   a  sire. 

MOKONl.  The  son  of  Mormon  and  the  last 
representative  of  the  Nephite  race.  He  was  an 
officer  under  his  father,  and  commanded  a  corps 
of  ten  thousand  men  at  the  battle  of  Cumorah. 
He  wrote  the  concluding  portions  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  from  the  commencement  of  the  8th 
chapter  of  the  book  bearing  his  father's  name 
to  the  end  of  the  volume.  This  includes  the  book 
bearing  his  own  name,  and  his  abridgement  of 
the  history  of  the  Jaredites  known  to  us  as  the 
Book  of  Ether.  He  takes  up  the  history  of  the 
continent  from  the  time  of  the  slaughter  at  Cu- 
morah, and  tells  us  (A.  C.  400)  that  ''the  Laman- 
ites  are  at  war  one  with  another;  and  the  face 
of  the  land  is  one  continued  round  of  murder  and 
bloodshed ;  and  no  man  knoweth  the  end  of  the 
war."  And  again,  yet  later,  he  writes:  "Their 
wars  are  exceeding  fierce  among  themselves,  and 
because  of  their  hatred,  they  put  to  death  every 
Nephite  that  will  not  deny  the  Christ,  and  I, 
Moroni,  w411  not  deny  the  Christ,  wherefore  I 
wander  whithersoever  I  can,  for  the  safety  of 
mine  own  life."  Such  was  the  sad  condition  of 
the  Lamanite  race  in  the  early  part  of  the  fifth 
century  after  Christ.  There  (A.  C.  421)  the  inspir- 
ed record  closes  ;  thenceforth  we  have  nothing  but 
uncertain  tradition  until,  the  veil  was  withdrawn 
by  the  discovery  of  America. 

In  the  course  of  nature,  Moroni  died,  and  in 
the  Lord's  due  time  he  was  resurredled.  The 
sacred  records  and  other  holy  things,  buried  in 
Cumorah,  still  remained  in  his  care.  On  him  the 
duty  fell  to  watch  that  no  unsandlified  hands  dis- 
turbed their  rest.  When  the  time  set  in  the  coun- 
cils of  heaven  for  their  translation  came,  he  de- 
livered them  to  the  instrument  chosen  by  the  Holy 
Ones,  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet,  who,  w^hen  he 
had    accomplished    his    work,    returned  them  to 


Moroni,  City  of.         251  Moroni,  Land  of. 

Moroni,  who  still  keeps  ward  and  watch  over 
these  treasures. 

MORONI,  CITY  OF.  An  important  city 
on  the  Atlantic  coast,  in  the  extreme  southeast  of 
the  Nephite  possessions.  It  was,  doubtless,  named 
after  the  illustrious  Nephite  general  who  was  com- 
mander-in-chief of  their  armies  at  the  time  this  city 
was  founded  (B.  C.  72).  It  was  built  as  an  out- 
post to  protedl  that  portion  of  the  Nephite  domin- 
ions from  Lamanite  invasion  and  was,  conse- 
quently, strongly  fortified.  In  B.  C,  67  it  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Lamanite  forces  of  Amalickiah,  and 
fortified  and  held  by  them  until  B.  C.  61.  It  was 
here  that  Teancum  slew  Ammoron,  the  king  of  the 
Lamanites,  and  was  himself  killed  before  he  could 
get  back  to  his  own  soldiery.  Of  this  city  we  are 
told  nothing  more  until  the  time  of  its  destrudlion, 
though  it  undoubtedly  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Lamanites  more  than  once  at  the  times  of  their 
successful  invasions  of  the  lands  of  the  Nephites. 
When  it  was  destroyed,  at  the  hour  of  the  Savior's 
crucifixion,  it  sank  in  the  depths  of  the  sea  and  its 
inhabitants  were  drowned  ;  and  the  blue  waters  of 
the  Atlantic  ocean  still  cover  it. 

MORONI,^  LAND  OF.  The  distria  immedi- 
ately surrounding  the  city  of  the  same  name.  It 
had  for  its  eastern  boundary,  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
and  the  great  wilderness  that  separated  the  Ne- 
phites from  the  Lamanites  lay  along  its  south- 
ern edge;  indeed,  until  it  was  settled  by  the  Ne- 
phites (about  B.  C.  72),  it  formed  a  portion  of 
that  wilderness.  The  events  associated  with  this 
land,  that  are  given  in  the  greatest  detail  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  are  those  connecfled  with  the 
close  of  the  great  war  commenced  by  Amalickiah, 
and  continued  by  his  brother  Ammoron.  In  B.  C. 
61,  the  Lamanites  had  been  driven  out  of  every 
Nephite  land  which  they  had  previously  captured, 
except  Moroni,  where  their  armies  were  massed  on 
the  borders  of  the  wilderness.    The  day  after  their 


Moronihah.  252 

king,  Ammoron,  was  slain  by  Tcancum,  Moroni 
drove  the  Lamanites  out  of  the  land  of  Moroni, 
into  their  own  country,  and  thus  ended  this  long- 
continued  and  disastrous  war. 

MOKONIHAH.  A  great  Nephite  general  and 
prophet,  of  the  days  of  the  republic.  He  suc- 
ceeded his  father,  Moroni,  in  the  command  of  the 
Nephite  armies,  B.  C.  60,  and  the  fadl  of  his  father 
resigning  in  his  favor  is  the  first  mention  made 
of  him  in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  He  must  have 
been,  at  that  time,  still  a  very  young  man,  as 
his  father  was  only  about  39  years  old,  but  he 
had  undoubtedly  been  trained  from  his  boyhood 
in  militar}'  affairs  in  the  great  war  of  seven  years 
duration  against  Amalickiah  and  Ammoron, 
which  had  only  been  brought  to  an  end  the  year 
previous.  It  was  not  until  B.  C.  53  that  his 
armies  were  called  upon  to  take  the  field.  In  that 
year  the  Lamanites,  urged  by  the  Nephite  apos- 
tates within  their  borders,  invaded  the  land  of 
^arahemla ;  but  Moronihah  met  and  defeated  them 
and  they  were  driven  back  to  their  own  domin- 
ions with  great  loss. 

In  B.  C.  51,  the  Lamanites  again  invaded 
Zarahemla.  They  were  led  by  an  oflScer  named 
Coriantumr.  He  adopted  new  tadlics.  Mojoni- 
hah,  believing  that  the  Lamanites  dared  not 
push  through  the  centre  of  the  land,  but  would, 
as  was  their  custom,  first  attack  the  outlying 
cities,  placed  his  strongest  garrisons  in  those 
places.  Coriantumr,  however,  made  a  dash  di- 
rec^hly  towards  the  Nephite  capital,  through  the 
densest  of  the  Nephite  population,  and  carried 
everything  before  him.  The  Nephites,  surprised 
and  unprepared  as  they  were,  resisted  him  only 
in  small  bodies,  which  were  easily  dispersed, 
and  he  reached  and  captured  the  city  of  Zara- 
hemla  before  Moronihah  could  concentrate  his 
forces.  The  whole  country  fell  into  Coriantumr's 
hands  as  he  pressed  forward,  and  after  capturing 


253  Moronihah. 

Zarahemla  be  continued  his  march  farther  north, 
slaying  great  numbers  of  the  Nephites  as  he  ad- 
vanced. 

Coriantumr  having  thus  thrown  himself  into 
the  centre  of  the  Nephite  country,  and  failed  to 
properly  keep  up  the  communications  in  his  rear, 
was  at  the  mercy  of  Moronihah,  as  soon  as  the  lat- 
ter could  gather  in  his  troops.  Moronihah  first  sent 
Lehi,  with  an  army,  to  intercept  the  Lamanites' 
progress  northw^ard,  before  they  could  reach  the 
land  Bountiful.  In  this  Lehi  v^as  successful.  He 
gave  them  battle  and  compelled  them  to  retreat 
towards  Zarahemla.  Before  they  could  reach  there, 
Moronihah  met  them.  A  bloody  battle  ensued,  in 
which  Coriantumr  was  slain  and  his  troops  utterly 
defeated.  But  the  Lamanites  were  unable  to  re- 
treat, for  they  were  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
the  Nephite  armies;  all  they  could  do  was  to  sur- 
render. So  Moronihah  took  possession  of  the  city 
of  Zarahemla  again,  and  permitted  the  defeated 
Lamanites  to  return  to  their  own  country. 

It  was  not  until  B.  C.  35  that  war  was  again 
declared.  The  Lamanites,  being  much  the  more 
numerous,  carried  everything  before  them.  In 
vain  the  Nephites  struggled  for  their  homes  and 
their  liberties.  They  were  forced  back  bj^  the 
hordes  of  the  Lamanites  from  city  to  city,  from 
land  to  land.  Manti,  Gideon,  Cumeni,  Moroni, 
and  even  Zarahemla  fell.  Nor  did  the  war  end 
when  the  bloodthirsty  Lamanites  held  high  car- 
nival in  the  midst  of  its  towers  and  palaces.  On- 
ward swept  the  invading  host ,  backward  fled  the 
defenders  of  the  Commonwealth,  backward  they 
continued  until  every  town  and  city,  every  tower 
and  fort,  from  Melek  to  Moroni,  from  Manti  to 
Bountiful,  was  filled  with  the  savage,  half-dis- 
ciplined, dark-skinned  warriors  of  Laman  and 
their  apostate  allies.  Not  a  place  could  be  found 
in  the  whole  southern  continent  where  the 
soldiers    of    Moronihah    successfully    held    their 


Moronihah.  254 

ground.  Zarahemla,  with  its  hallowed  associa- 
tions, its  glorious  temples,  where  the  daily  sacri- 
fice was  unceasingly  offered,  its  proud  palaces,  its 
luxurious  homes,  its  courts  of  justice,  where  the 
chief  judge  sat  in  the  magnificence  of  almost 
kingly  authority  to  administer  the  law  —  this, 
their  queen  city,  the  seat  of  their  government,  the 
centre  of  their  civilization,  the  home  of  their 
highest  priesthood,  was  in  the  hands  of  their 
merciless,  vandal-like  foes.  Nor  had  the  danger 
stopped ;  with  hurried  hands  the  Nephites  built  a 
line  of  defense  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  from 
sea  to  sea,  for  the  unnumbered  hosts  of  their  con- 
querors were  still  pushing  forward.  This  line  of 
fortification  was  effedlual ;  it  stopped  the  roll  of 
the  barbaric  tide  northward,  and  the  Lamanite 
commanders  rested  with  the  possession  of  a  con- 
tinent. 

In  this  war  the  Nephite  dissenters  took  acftive 
part  against  their  white  brethren,  and  to  this 
fa(?b,  in  part,  may  be  attributed  the  sudden  success 
that  shone  on  the  Lamanite  arms.  But  little  by 
little,  in  succeeding  years,  the  half-repentant  Neph- 
ites regained  their  lost  ground,  until  (  B.  C.  31  ) 
the  most  northerly  half  of  their  possessions  had 
again  fallen  into  their  hands ;  but  because  of  their 
onW  partial  repentance,  their  leaders  had  not 
strength  to  lead  them  farther,  and  the  proud  city 
of  Zarahemla  still  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
warriors  of  Laman. 

In  the  darkest  hours  of  this  war,  we  read  that 
Moronihah  did  preach  many  things  unto  the 
people  because  of  their  iniquity,  *  *  and  did 
prophesy  many  things,  *  *  and  what  should 
come  unto  them  if  they  did  not  repent.  We  thus 
learn  that  he,  like  his  father,  was  not  only  a 
great  military  commander,  but  a  zealous  and 
faithful  servant  of  God,  and  a  prophet.  When 
this  third  war  ceased,  he  had  been  commander- 
in-chief  of    the    Nephite    forces  for  about  thirty 


Moronihah.  255  Mosiah  I. 

years,  and  his  name  is  not  again  mentioned  in 
the  sacred  secord. 

MORONIHAH.  A  Nephite  general  who  com- 
manded a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last 
great  struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  Laman- 
ites.  He,  with  all  his  command,  was  slain  in 
the  final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumorah, 
when  the  Nephite  nation  w^as  annihilated  (A. 
C.   385). 

MORONIHAH,  CITY  OF.  One  of  the  great 
and  iniquitous  cities  of  the  Nephites  destroyed 
at  the  time  of  the  Savior's  crucifixion.  The  earth, 
during  the  great  convulsions  that  then  occurred, 
was  carried  up  upon  the  cit}^ ;  it  and  its  people 
were  buried,  and  in  its  place  stood  a  great  mount- 
ain. Thus  were  its  iniquities  and  abominations 
hid  from  the  face  of  the  Lord,  and  the  blood  of 
the  prophets  and  saints  came  up  no  more  to  Him 
against  them  (HI  Nephi,  8 :  10,  25;  9:  5).  Noth- 
ing is  written  which  throws  any  light  on  the 
location   of  this  ill-fated  citv. 

MOSES.  The  great  lawgiver  to  Israel.  Fre- 
quent references  are  made  to  him  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  Lehi  refers  to  the  prophecy  of  Joseph, 
the  son  of  Jacob,  of  the  coming  and  mission  of 
Moses  (H  Nephi,  3:  9,  10,  16,  17).  Nephi  and 
others  make  mention  of  his  dividing  the  waters 
of  the  Red  Sea  (I  Nephi,  4:  2;  17:24— 27;  He- 
laman,  8:  11).  The  ancient  Nephite  prophets 
also  speak  of  his  foreknowledge  of  the  coming  of 
the  Messiah  (1  Nephi,  22:  20,  21;  Mosiah,  13:  33, 
Helaman,  8:  15,  16);  of  his  smiting  the  rock  for 
water  (II  Nephi,  25:  20) ;  of  the  lifting  up  of  the 
brazen  serpent  in  the  wilderness  (Helaman,  8:  14) , 
of  his  burial  by  the  Lord  (Alma,  45:  19).  Jesus  said 
to  the  Nephites,  "I  am  he  of  whom  Moses  spake" 
(III  Nephi,  20:  23).  The  five  books  of  Moses  are 
mentioned  (I  Nephi,  5:  11),  and  the  law  of  Moses  is 
spoken  of  more  than  fortv  times. 

MOSIAH   I.      Mosiah  resided  in  the  land   of 


Mosiah  I.  256 

Nephi,  and  lived  there  during  thelatier  half  of 
the  third  century  before  Christ.  Whether  he  was 
originally  a  prophet,  priest  or  king,  the  historian 
(Amaleki)  does  not  inform  us.  Most  certainly  he 
was  a  righteous  man,  for  the  Lord  made  choice  of 
him  to  guide  the  obedient  Nephites  from  their 
native  country  to  a  land  that  he  would  show 
them. 

The  causes  that  led  the  Lord  to  make  this  call 
upon  the  Nephites  are  not  stated,  but  some  of 
them  can  be  easily  surmised.  Among  such  we 
suggest  that: 

The  aggressive  Lamanites  were  constantly 
crowding  upon  them,  ravaging  their  more  remote 
districts,  entrapping  and  enslaving  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  outlying  settlements,  driving  off  their 
flocks  and  herds,  and  keeping  them  in  a  constant 
state  of  anxiety  and  dread,  which  hindered  their 
progress  and  stayed  the  growth  of  the  work  of 
God.  The  Lord  therefore  led  them  to  a  land  of 
peace. 

Again,  this  course  of  events,  continued  for  so 
long  a  period,  had  caused  much  hard-heartedness 
and  stiffneckedness  in  the  midst  of  the  Nephites. 
Some  of  the  people  had  remained  righteous,  some 
had  grown  very  wicked.  To  separate  these  classes 
the  Lord  called  the  faithful  and  obedient  to  follow 
Mosiah  to  another  land. 

For  a  third  reason :  there  was  a  portion  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  a  few  hundred  miles  to  the  north, 
entirely  unknown  to  their  Nephite  brethren.  These 
people  had  sunk  very  low  in  true  civilization  ;  they 
were  so  degraded  that  they  denied  the  being  of 
their  Creator,  they  had  had  many  wars  and  con- 
tentions among  themselves;  they  had  corrupted 
their  language,  had  no  records  nor  scriptures,  and 
were  altogether  in  a  deplorable  condition.  To  save 
and  regenerate  this  branch  of  God's  covenant  peo- 
ple, Mosiah  and  the  Nephites  were  led  to  the  place 
w   ere  they  dwelt. 


257  Mosiah  I. 

The  statement  made  by  Amaleki  regarding  this 
great  migration  under  Mosiah  is  brief.  We  are 
altogether  left  to  our  imagination  to  picture  the 
scenes  that  occurred  at  this  division  of  a  nation. 
Nor  can  we  tell  how  many,  preferring  home,  kin- 
dred and  friends,  and  the  endearments  and  associ- 
ations of  their  native  land,  faltered  and  tarried  be- 
hind, while  the  faithful  started  on  their  journey 
northward  into  the  untrodden  wilderness.  Nor  are 
we  informed  what  afterwards  became  of  those 
who  allowed  the  allurements  of  the  world  to  pre- 
vail. It  is  most  probable  that  they  united  with 
the  Lamanites,  were  absorbed  into  that  race,  and, 
like  them,  became  darkened,  bloodthirsty  and 
savage. 

The  Nephite  evacuation  of  the  cities  built  in 
the  land  of  Nephi  no  doubt  had  a  beneficial  effedl 
on  those  portions  of  the  Lamanite  race  that  took 
possession  of  them .  Thej^  thereby  became  acquaint- 
ed with  some  of  the  comforts  and  excellences  of 
civilization,  and,  though  very  slow  to  learn,  their 
experience  at  this  time  laid  the  foundation  for  a 
slight  advance  of  the  arts  of  peace  in  their  midst. 

Mosiah  gathered  up  the  willing  and  obedient, 
and,  as  diredled  by  the  Lord,  started  on  the  jour- 
ney. Whither  they  were  going  they  understood 
not,  only  they  knew  that  the  Lord  was  leading 
them.  With  preachings  and  prophesyings  they 
crossed  the  wilderness  and  passed  down  into  the 
land  of  Zarahemla. 

On  the  west  bank  of  the  river  Sidon  the  people 
of  Mosiah  found  a  populous  city,  of  whose  exist- 
ence they  had  never  before  heard'.  Its  people  were 
a  semi-civilized  and  irreligious  race,  speaking  a 
strange  language,  and  with  many  habits  and  cus- 
toms different  from  those  of  the  new  comers. 

The  meeting  must  have  been  a  perplexing  one 
to  both  people,  brought  face  to  face  but  unable 
to  understand  each  other  by  reason  of  their  differ- 
ent modes  of  speech.    We  often  read  in  history  of 


Mosiah  I.  258 

the  irruption  of  an  inferior  or  more  barbarous 
race  into  the  domains  of  a  more  highly  civiHzed 
one,  but  it  is  seldom,  as  in  this  case,  that  the  supe- 
rior race  moves  in  a  body,  occupies  the  country 
and  unites  with  the  less  enlightened  people.  It  is 
probable  that  the  first  feelings  of  the  old  settlers 
w^ere  akin  to  dismay  as  they  learned  of  the  hosts 
of  the  invaders  that  were  marching  upon  them; 
but  these  feelings  were  soon  soothed  and  an  under- 
standing arrived  at  by  which  the  two  people  be- 
came one  nation.  We  are  forced  to  the  conclusion 
that  this  arrangement  could  not  have  been  effedl- 
ed  without  the  direcft  interposition  of  Heaven,  by 
and  through  which  both  peoples  were  brought  to 
a  united  purpose  and  common  understanding. 

When  the  Nephites  began  to  comprehend  the 
language  of  their  new  fellow  citizens,  they  found 
that  they  were  the  descendants  of  a  colony  which 
had  been  led  from  Jerusalem  by  the  hand  of  the 
Lord,  in  the  year  that  that  city  was  destroyed 
by  the  king  of  Bab^^on  (say  B.  C.  589).  (See 
Mulek.)  At  this  time  their  king  or  ruler  was 
named  Zarahemla  (about  B.  C.  200).  The  reason 
assigned  for  their  departure  from  the  worship  of 
the  true  God,  their  degradation  and  the  corrup- 
tion of  their  language,  was  that  their  forefathers 
brought  with  them  from  their  ancient  home  in 
Palestine  no  records  or  copies  of  the  holy  scrip- 
tures, to  guide  and  preserve  them  from  error  in 
their  isolated  land  of  adoption. 

When  the  two  races  joined,  it  was  decided  that 
Mosiah  should  be  the  king  of  the  united  people, 
though  the  Nephites  were  then  the  less  numerous. 
This  arrangement  probably  grew  out  of  the  fadl 
that  though  fewer  in  numbers  they  were  the  more 
civilized  and,  also  being  worshipers  of  the  God 
of  Israel,  they  would  not  willingly  submit  to  be 
ruled  by  those  who  had  no  knowledge  of  His  laws. 

The  education  of  the  people  of  Zarahemla  to 
the  standard   of  the  Nephites,   and  the  work  o 


259  Mosiah  II. 

harmonizing  the  two  races,  were  not  the  task  of 
an  hour.  It  required  much  wn'sdom,  patience  and 
perseverance.  Mosiah  gave  stability  to  the  new 
kingdom  by  his  own  virtues  and  wise  example, 
by  the  just  laws  he  established,  and  by  placing 
the  service  of  the  Lord  before  all  earthly  con- 
siderations. It  is  evident  that  he  built  a  temple 
in  the  new  land,  as  its  existence  is  particularly 
mentioned  in  the  days  of  his  son,  king  Benjamin, 
and  as  the  people  observed  the  law  of  Moses  in 
the  matter  of  sacrifices  and  offerings,  a  temple 
w^ould  be  one  of  their  very  first  necessities.  But 
to  the  forms,  types,  and  ceremonies  of  the  Mosaic 
law  were  added  gospel  principles,  w^th  a  clear 
and  definite  understanding  of  the  coming  and  di- 
vine work  of  the  Messiah.  Mosiah  was  not  only 
a  divinely  inspired  leader  and  king,  but  he  was 
also  a  seer.  While  reigning  in  Zarahemla  a  large 
engraved  stone  was  brought  to  him,  and  by  the 
gift  and  power  of  God  he  translated  the  engrav- 
ings thereon.  The3^  gave  an  account  of  the  rise, 
fall  and  destrudlion  of  the  great  Jaredite  nation, 
from  the  days  of  its  founders,  to  the  time  of  their 
last  king,  Coriantumcr,  who  himself  was  discov- 
ered by  the  people  of  Zarahemla,  and  lived  with 
them  nine  moons.  When  Mosiah  died  he  was  suc- 
ceeded bv  his  son  Benjamin. 

3IOSIAH  II.  The  third  king  of  the  Neph- 
ites  in  the  land  of  Zarahemla,  where  he  was  born 
B.  C.  154;  he  was  consecrated  king  by  his  father, 
Benjamin,  B.C.  125,  and  died  in  Zarahemla,  B.C. 
91,  aged  63  years.  He  came  to  the  throne  under 
most  happy  circumstances ;  he  had  the  full  confi- 
dence of  his  subjects,  who  were  a  righteous.  God- 
fearing people;  the  Lamanites  were  at  peace  with 
the  Nephites,  and  internal  development  and  pros- 
perity charadlerized  the  condition  of  his  kingdom. 
Individually  he  proved  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
and  best  of  kings;  his  whole  energies  were  devoted 
to  the  good  of  his  people,  who  loved  him  with  an 


Mosiah  II.  260 

intensity  of  afFedlion  scarceh-  equaled  in  the 
annals  of  any  race.  In  the  fourth  year  of  his 
reign  the  expedition  under  Ammon  started,  which 
resulted  in  the  return  to  Zarahemla  of  nearly-  all 
the  living  descendants  of  the  company  that  left 
tinder  Zeniff  to  reoccupy  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi. 
The  leader  of  one  of  these  companies  was  Alma, 
the  elder,  whom  Mosiah  called  to  take  charge  of 
the  church  in  Zarahemla.  Soon  after  the  arrival 
of  these  fugitives  from  the  land  of  Nephi,  Mosiah 
gathered  all  the  people  together,  and  had  them 
made  acquainted  with  the  vicissitudes  and  sorrows 
through  which  the  new  comers  had  passed  since 
their  fathers  left  Zarahernla.  Also  taking  advant- 
age of  the  presence  of  so  many  of  his  subjedls,  he 
addressed  them  on  such  matters  as  he  deemed 
necessary  and  desirable.  At  his  request,  Alma 
also  taught  them.  When  assembled  in  large 
bodies  Alma  went  from  one  multitude  to  another, 
preaching  repentance  and  faith  in  the  Lord ;  after- 
wards, by  Mosiah's  direcffcion,  he  went  through  the 
land,  organizing  and  establishing  churches  and 
ordaining  priests  and  teachers  over  every  church. 
Thus  were  seven  churches  established  at  this  time 
in  the  land  of  Zarahemla. 

In  the  course  of  years,  man^^  of  the  rising 
generation  gave  no  heed  to  the  word  of  God. 
These  w^ere  mostly  such  as  were  too  young  to 
enter  into  covenant  v^ith  the  Lord  at  the  time 
that  Benjamin  anointed  Mosiah  to  be  his  suc- 
cessor. Not  only  did  they  themselves  rejedl  the 
do(?trines  of  the  atonement,  the  resurrection  and 
other  gospel  principles,  but  they  led  away  many 
who  were  members  of  the  Church,  and  sorely 
persecuted  those  who  remained  faithful  to  God 
and  His  laws.  Encouraged  by  the  fa(fb  that  four 
of  Mosiah's  sons,  and  one  of  Alma's^  were  leaders 
in  this  crusade,  they  paid  no  attention  to  the 
national  law  which  guaranteed  freedom  of  con- 
science to  all  men  alike.    By  Divine  interposition, 


261  Mosiah  II. 

through  a  holy  angel,  these  young  men  were 
turned  from  the  error  of  their  way,  and  after- 
wards became  strong  pillars  in  the  Church,  and 
messengers  of  salvation  to  both  Nephite  and 
Lamanite.  For  the  four  sons  of  Mosiah  (named 
Amnion,  Aaron,  Omner,  and  Himni),  not  content 
with  their  zealous  labors  among  their  countr\^men, 
proposed  to  go  and  labor  among  the  Lamanites. 
The  good  king,  like  many  of  his  subjecfts,  did  not 
favorably  regard  this  proposal,  he  feared  for  the 
lives  of  his  sons ;  but  having  inquired  of  the 
Lord  and  received  assurances  of  Heavenly  pro- 
tedlion,  he  gladly  let  them  go. 

Mosiah  now  felt  that  it  was  time  that  the 
question  of  the  succession  to  the  throne  should  be 
settled.  In  his  magnanimity  he  sent  among  the 
people  to  learn  whom  they  would  have  for  their 
king.  The  people  chose  his  son  Aaron,  but  Aaron 
would  not  accept  the  royal  power,  his  heart  was 
set  upon  the  conversion  of  his  fellows-men  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  gospel.  This  refusal  troubled 
the  mind  of  Mosiah ;  he  apprehended  difficulties 
if  Aaron  at  some  future  time  should  change  his 
mind  and  demand  his  rights.  Mosiah  therefore 
issued  another  address  in  which  he  proposed  to 
retain  the  kingdom  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  after  which  the  Nephites  should  be  governed 
by  judges  elecfted  by  themselves.  In  other  re- 
spects, also,  Mosiah  consented  to  newly  arrange 
the  affairs  of  the  people ;  and,  if  w^e  may  so  express 
it,  to  codify  the  laws.  This  code  became  the 
constitution  of  the  nation  under  the  rule  of  the 
Judges,  which  limited  the  powers  of  the  officials 
and  guaranteed  the  rights  of  the  people.  This 
compilation  was  acknowledged  by  the  people, 
whereupon  the  historian  remarks,  "Therefore  they 
were  obliged  to  abide  by  the  laws  which  he  had 
made,"  and  from  that  time  they  became  supreme 
throughout  the  nation.  It  is  stated  in  another 
place  that  this  change  was  made  b^^  the  direct 


Mosiah,  Sons  of.        262  Mulek. 

command  of  Jehovah.  But  besides  being  a  king, 
Mosiah  was  also  a  seer.  The  gift  of  interpreting 
strange  tongues  and  languages  was  his.  Bj  this 
gift  he  translated  from  the  twenty-four  plates  of 
gold,  found  by  the  people  of  king  Limhi,  the 
record  of  the  Jaredites.  No  wonder  that  a  man 
possessed  of  such  gifts,  so  just  and  merciful  in  the 
administration  of  the  law,  so  perfect  in  his  private 
life,  should  be  esteemed  more  than  any  man  by  his 
subjedls,  and  that  they  waxed  strong  in  their  love 
towards  him.  As  a  king,  he  was  a  father  to  them, 
but  as  a  prophet,  seer  and  revelator,  he  was  the 
source  from  whence  Divine  wisdom  flowed  unto 
them. 

His  sons  having  started  on  their  mission  to  the 
Lamanites  (B.  C.  91),  Mosiah  gave  the  sacred 
plates  and  the  associate  holy  things  into  the  care 
of  the  younger  Alma,  and  the  same  year  passed 
away  to  the  rest  of  the  just. 

MOSIAH,  SONS  OF.  The  four  sons  of  the 
second  Mosiah,  who  accomplished  the  great  and 
successful  mission  to  the  Lamanites  (B.  C.  91  to 
B.  C.  78).  Their  names  were  Aaron,  Ammon, 
Owner  and  HimnL 
.  ^  yt4,^giXJLEK.  The  infant  son  of  Zedekiah,  king  of 
f^^utM^u^ea,  who  was  preserved  when  the  rest  of  his 
brothers  were  slain  (II  Kings,  25:  7 )  by  the  king  of 
Babylon.  Eleven  years  after  Lehi  left  Jerusalem 
the  Lord  led  another  colony  from  that  city  to 
America,  among  whom  was  Mulek,  who,  at  that 
time,  must  have  been  verj/  young,  as  his  father  was 
only  21  years  old  when  he  commenced  to  reign, 
and  he  reigned  but  eleven  years  in  Jerusalem  (II 
Chronicles,  36:  11;  Jeiemiah,  52:  1).  It  is  alto- 
gether probable  that  when  Mulek  attained  a 
proper  age  he,  on  account  of  his  lineage,  was 
recognized   as  king  or  leader  of  the  colony. 

Regarding  the  journey  of  this  company,  all  we 
are  told  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  that  they  came 
out  of  Jerusalem  at  the  time  that  Zedekiah,  king 


Mulek,  City  of.  26S  Muloki. 

of  Judea,  was  carried  away  captive  into  Babylon, 
and  that  they  journeyed  in  the  wilderness  and 
were  brought  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  across  the 
great  waters.  Again  we  are  informed  that  they 
landed  on  the  northern  continent,  in  the  land 
afterwards  known  to  the  Nephites  as  the  land 
Desolation,  and  for  this  reason  the  Nephites  called 
North  America  the  land  of  Mulek.  This  must  not 
be  confounded  with  the  country  immediately  sur- 
rounding the  city  of  Mulek,  in  South  America.  In 
after  years  this  colony  migrated  southward  and 
settled  on  the  River  Sidon,  where  their  descendants 
were  afterwards  found  by  the  Nephites. 

MULEK,  CITY  OF.  A  city  of  the  Nephites 
on  the  east  borders  by  the  sea  shore,  about  a  day's 
journey  south  of  the  city  Bountiful,  and  therefore 
in  the  northernmost  part  of  South  America.  It 
was  captured  by  the  Lamanites  under  Amalic- 
kiah  (B.  C.  67),  who  placed  a  Zoramite,  named 
Jacob,  in  command.  By  stratagem,  Moroni,  Lehi 
and  Teancum  recaptured  it  (B.  C.  64),  when 
Moroni  made  it  Lehi's  headquarters.  It  again  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Lamanites  when  (B.  C.  34- 
33)  they  drove  the  Nephites  from  all  their  posses- 
sions in  the  southern  continent ;  but  it  was  one 
of  the  first  cities  retaken  by  Moronihah,  when  the 
tide  of  vi(?tory  turned  (B.  C,  32).  It  is  then  men- 
tioned as  being  one  of  the  cities  to  which  Lehi  and 
Nephi,  the  sons  of  Helaman,  went  forth  calling 
the  people  to  repentance,  in  that  great  mission 
which  they  commenced  in  the  land  of  Bountiful 
and  continued  to  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi,  B.  C. 
30. 

MULEK,  LAND  OF.  The  name  given  by 
the  Nephites  to  the  whole  of  North  America,  be- 
cause Mulek  landed  on  this  continent,  while  Lehi 
brought  his  colony  to  the  southern  continent, 
to  which  his  descendants  gave  his  name.  (Hela- 
man, 6.  10). 

MULOKI.    When  (B.  C.  91)  the  four  sons  of 


Muloki.  2r64 

king  Mosiah  started  on  their  perilous  mission  to 
convert  the  savage  Lamanites  to  the  true  faith, 
they  were  accompanied  by  several  other  elders  of 
the  Christian  Church,  whom  they  had  seledled  on 
account  of  their  faith  and  devotion.  Neither  the 
names  nor  numbers  of  these  co-laborers  are  given, 
but  two  or  three  are  incidentally  mentioned  in  the 
recital  of  the  history  of  the  mission.  Of  these 
Muloki  appears  the  most  prominent,  and  it  is 
only  in  connecftion  with  this  mission  that  his  name 
is  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

When  the  missionaries,  after  committing  them- 
selves to  God,  separated  on  the  borders  of  the 
Lamanites,  Ammon  went  to  the  land  of  IshrnaeJ, 
Aaron  to  Jerusalem;  where  Muloki  first  w^ent  we 
are  not  informed.  When  Aaron  was  driven  out  of 
the  land  of  Jerusalem  by  reason  of  the  wickedness 
of  its  people,  he  passed  over  to  a  neighboring  vil- 
lage, styled  Ani-Anti,  where  he  found  Muloki  and 
others  laboring  with  much  zeal,  but  with  little 
success.  Finding  their  efforts  unavailing,  Aaron, 
Muloki,  Ammah  and  their  companions  departed 
from  Ani-Anti  and  went  over  into  the  land  of 
Middoni,  where  Antiomno  was  king.  Here  they 
labored  zealousl\\  though  but  few  hearkened  unto 
their  words.  Before  long  the  wicked  raised  the 
standard  of  persecution  and  the  three  brethren 
above  named  were  cast  into  prison,  while  others 
fled  to  the  regions  round  about.  The  prisoners 
were  treated  with  extreme  cruelty,  they  were 
bound  with  strong  cords,  which  cut  into  their 
flesh,  they  were  deprived  of  proper  food,  drink  and 
clothing,  and  otherwise  they  suffered  many  afflic- 
tions. After  many  daj^s'  confinement,  they  were 
set  at  liberty  by  Antiomno,  through  the  interces- 
sion of  Lamoni  and  Ammon :  their  unfortunate 
condition  having  been  revealed  to  the  latter  by  the 
Lord,  with  instrucftions  to  go  and  set  his  brethren 
at  liberty.  When  Ammon  met  these  faithful 
brethren,  he  was  greatly  grieved,  because  of  their 


Nahom.  265  Nehor. 

wretched,  naked,  wounded  and  starved  condition. 
After  a  season  of  mutual  joy,  thanksgiving  and  con- 
gratulation, the  elders  again  separated  to  renew 
their  labors  in  the  ministry,  but  to  what  particu- 
lar land  Muloki  went,  or  among  whom  he  so- 
journed we  have  no  information. 

NAHOM.  A  place  on  the  line  of  travel  of 
Lehi  and  his  company  through  the  Arabian  desert. 
Here  Ishmael  died  and  was  buried.  (I  Nephi, 
16:  34.) 

NAPHTALT,  LAND  OF.     The  country  in- 
habited by  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  in  Canaan,  after- 
wards   known    as    Galilee.     It  is   mentioned  but 
once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  a  quotation  from^^ 
the  ninth  chapter  of  Isaiah.    (II  Nephi,  19:  1.) 

NAZAliETH.  The  city  were  Jesus  spent  his 
childhood.  It  was  shown  Nephi  in  his  vision  of 
the  coming  and  birth  of  our  Savior.  (I  Nephi,  11 : 
13.)  It  is  nowhere  else  mentioned  by  name  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon. 

NEJ^.  A  grain,  kind  unknown,  mentioned, 
in  conne(?tion  with  wheat,  barley,  and  sheum,  as 
being  planted  by  the  Nephites  on  the  land  of  Lehi- 
Nephi.     (Mosiah,  9:9.) 

NEHOR.  Could  our  readers  have  taken  a 
glimpse  at  the  fair  capital  of  the  Nephites  in  the 
first  year  of  the  Judges  (B.  C.  91),  they  might 
have  noticed  in  its  principal  street  a  portly,  hand- 
some man,  manifesting  in  his  carriage  the  evi- 
dences of  great  bodily  strength,  combined  with 
vanity,  self-sufiiciency  and  subtlety.  They  might 
have  observed  that  his  raiment  was  made  of  the 
finest  fabrics  that  the  looms  of  Zarahemla  could 
produce,  lavishly  embroidered  and  ornamented 
with  the  labors  of  the  cunning  workman  in  silk, 
in  feathers  and  the  precious  metals,  while  at  his 
side  hung  a  richly  decorated  sword.  This  man  was 
no  king,  no  governor,  no  general  of  the  armies  of 
Israel ;    he   was  simply  Nehor,   the  successful  re- 


Nehor.  266 

ligious  charlatan  of  the  hour,  to  whom  the  un- 
stable listened  and  the  weak-minded  flocked. 

Nehor's  teachings  had  at  any  rate  the  interest 
of  novelty  to  the  Nephites,  yet  some  of  his  theories 
were  older  than  Idumea.  They  had  been  rejedled 
in  the  counsels  of  heaven  before  Lucifer,  the  Son  of 
the  Morning,  fell.  He  would  save  all  men  in  their 
sins  and  with  their  sins;  he  abolished  hell,  es- 
tablished a  paid  order  of  priests,  and  taught  doc- 
trines so  liberal  that  every  man  could  be  a  member 
of  his  church  and  yet  continue  to  gratify  every 
vice  his  nature  inclined  to.  For  this  liberality  of 
dodlrine,  Nehor  expedled  in  return  liberality  of 
support  for  himself  and  assistants,  in  which  an- 
ticipation he  was  not  disappointed.  Many 
adopted  his  heresies ;  his  success  fired  his  zeal,  and 
developed  his  vanity.  He  was  so  used  to  the 
sycophancy  of  his  converts  that  he  was  restive 
under  contradidlion,  and  when  Gideon,  the  aged 
patriot  and  teacher  in  the  true  Church,  one  day 
met  him  in  the  streets  of  Zarahemla  and  up- 
braided him  for  his  wicked  course,  neither  respcA- 
inghis  great  age  nor  his  many  virtues,  Nehor  drew 
his  sword  and  smote  him  till  he  died.  For  this 
wilful  and  unprovoked  crime,  the  murderer  was 
tried,  convidled  and  afterwards  executed.  His 
execution  took  place  on  the  hill  Manti.  and,  from 
the  way  in  which  his  death  is  spoken  of,  we  im- 
agine that  he  was  hanged. 

Though  Nehor's  shameful  life  was  thus  ended, 
unfortunately  his  do(?trine  did  not  die  with  him. 
It  was  too  pleasant  to  those  who  desired  to  gain 
heaven  by  a  life  of  sin.  Consequently  it  spread 
widely  through  the  teachings  of  his  followers.  In 
later  year  the  traitorous  Amlicites,  the  apostate 
Amalekites,  the  bloodthirsty  Amulonites  and 
Ammonihahites,  were  all  believers  in  his  soul- 
destroying  dodlrines.  The  bloodshed,  the  misery 
produced,     the    treasure    expended    through    the 


Nehor,  City  of.  267  Nephi. 

wickedness  and  folly  of  these  base  creatures,  can- 
not be  computed. 

NEHOK,  CITY  OF.  A  city  of  the  Jaredites. 
It  is  mentioned  but  once  (Ether,  7:  9)  and  then  in 
the  early  history  of  that  race.  Here  Shule  gave 
battle  to  his  brother  Corihor,  who  had  usurped 
the  throne,  defeated  him  and  restored  the  kingly 
authority  to  their  father,  Kib. 

NEHOR,  LAND  OF.  The  land  to  which 
Corihor  first  retired  when  he  rebelled  against  his 
father  Kib,  who  reigned  in  the  land  of  Moron 
(Ether,  7:  4).  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  was 
not  far  distant  from  Moron,  and,  if  so,  would  be 
in  or  near  Central  America. 

NEPHI,  THE  SON  OF  L.EH1.  One  of  the 
greatest  prophets  whose  presence  ever  dignified  this 
earth.  He  was  one  of  the'  most  lovable  of  men, 
true  as  steel,  never  wavering,  full  of  integrity, 
faith  and  zeal;  he  loved  the  Lord  w^ith  all  his  heart. 
It  is  seldom  we  find  a  charadler  in  the  history  of 
this  fallen  world  that  was  as  perfedl  or  as  com- 
plete as  was  that  of  Nephi.  He  was  naturally  a 
leader,  his  faith  and  courage  made  him  so,  while 
his  devout  humility  gave  him  strength  with  Hea- 
ven. In  many  respedls  he  resembled  Moses  ;  not 
only  was  he  their  law-giver,  but  a  practical  teacher 
of  his  people  in  the  every-day  concerns  of  life. 
Like  Enoch,  he  was  a  prophet,  seer  and  revelator, 
one  in  whom  were  deposited  the  mysteries  of  God's 
dealings  with  future  generations;  like  Abraham, 
he  was  a  father  to  his  people;  like  Melchisedec,  he 
w^as  their  king  and  high  priest ;  like  Noah,  he  was 
a  ship-builder,  by  which  he  delivered  his  family, 
and  like  Tubalcain,  "an  instructor  of  every  arti- 
ficer in  brass  and  iron."  In  one  respedl  he  was 
like  almost  all  the  prophets,  for  he  was  derided, 
mocked,  abused  and  persecuted  by  those  who 
should  have  loved  him  most,  those  whose  welfare 
he  made  his  constant  labor. 

Nephi  was  the  son  of  Lehi,  a  devout  Israelite, 


Nephi.  268 

of  the  tribe  of  Manasseh,  who  resided  in  Jerusalem  ; 
he  was  born  probably  abont  B.  C.  617,  was  mar- 
ried B.  C.  600,  in  the  valley  of  Lam  an,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Red  Sea ;  he  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  and 
had  a  numerous  posterity,  though  of  his  imme- 
diate sons  and  daughters  the  Book  of  Mormon  is 
entirely  silent.  It  is  presumable  that  one  of  his 
sons  succeeded  him  under  the  title  of  Nephi  II,  as 
king  of  the  Nephites. 

When,  on  account  of  the  persecution  of  the 
Jews,  Lehi  w^as  commanded  by  the  Lord  to  leave 
Jerusalem,  Nephi  gladly  seconded  all  his  efforts, 
and  became  a  help  and  a  stay  to  his  father  during 
the  many  troubles  and  perplexities  of  the  toilsome 
journey  through  the  Arabian  wilderness.  Early 
in  that  journey  they  rested  for  a  time  in  a  little 
valley  bordering  on  the  Red  Sea  to  which  Lehi  gave 
the  name  of  Laman.  Twice  while  they  tarried  there 
the  sons  of  Lehi  were  commanded  to  return  to  Je- 
rusalem. The  first  time  the^^  went  to  obtain  certain 
records  relating  to  their  tribe,  and  God's  dealings 
with  His  people  {see  Zoraw) ;  the  second  time  to 
invite  Ishmael  and  his  family  to  join  them  in  their 
migration.  When  they  had  accomplished  the  pur- 
pose of  their  stay  in  the  valley  of  Laman,  the  Lord 
commanded  them  to  depart,  and  provided  a  guide 
for  their  travels  in  the  shape  of  a  Divinely  pre- 
pared compass,  which  they  called  aLiahona.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  of  the  journey,  its  peace  was  marred 
by  the  rebellious  and  violent  conduct  of  Lehi's  un- 
believing and  unrepentant  sons,  of  whom  Laman 
was  the  leader.  The  first  serious  outbreak  was 
during  the  return  of  Lehi's  sons  from  Jerusalem  to 
the  tents  of  their  father  with  Ishmael  and  his 
family.  Some  of  the  sons  of  Ishmael  seem  to  have 
regretted  the  step  which  their  father  had  taken. 
Possibly,  like  Laman  and  Lemuel,  they  had  no 
faith  in  the  prophecies  of  the  servants  of  God,  who 
declared  that  yet  a  little  while  and  Jerusalem 
should    be    destroyed ;    and  Laman  and  Lemuel 


269  Nephi. 

soon  impregnated  them  with  that  spirit  of  malice 
and  discontent  that  they  themselves  had  already 
so  prominently  shown.  Two  of  the  daughters 
of  Ishmael  also  manifested  this  spirit.  As  usual, 
the  way  in  which  they  showed  their  feelings  was 
by  abusing  and  ill-treating  Nephi.  He  was  the 
special  objedl  of  their  dislike,  by  reason  of  his 
faithfulness  to  the  commandments  of  God,  and 
because  the  Lord  had  shown  to  him  that  he 
should  be  their  ruler. 

When  the  spirit  of  rebellion  first  manifested 
itself,  as  they  journeyed  in  the  wilderness,  Nephi 
rebuked  the  malcontents  in  somewhat  severe  terms. 
Angry  with  his  words  of  reproof  and  entreaty, 
the  rebellious  portion  of  the  camp  took  Nephi 
and  bound  him  with  cords,  their  intention  being 
to  leave  him  in  the  wilderness  to  be  devoured 
by  wild  beasts.  But  Nephi  in  mighty  faith  prayed 
to  the  Lord  to  deliver  him,  and  that  the  cords 
that  bound  him  might  be  burst.  His  petitions 
were  answered.  No  sooner  had  he  offered  this 
prayer  than  the  bands  were  loosed,  and  he  stood 
a  free  man  before  his  brethren. 

Again,  in  the  love  of  his  heart,  he  plead  with 
his  tormentors.  But  they  were  still  filled  with 
the  spirit  of  malice  and  murder,  and  once  more 
sought  to  lay  violent  hands  upon  him.  However, 
the  wife  of  Ishmael  and  one  of  her  daughters, 
and  also  one  son,  begged  so  earnestly  for  them 
to  desist  that  at  last  their  hearts  were  softened, 
and  in  sorrow  and  humility  they  sought  Nephi's 
forgiveness.  This  he  freely  granted  without  a 
moment's  hesitation ;  he  was  but  too  glad  to  have 
them  turn  from  their  cruel  and  wicked  course. 
Still,  as  they  had  ofiended  God,  as  well  as  in- 
jured their  brother,  Nephi  exhorted  them  to  pray 
unto  the  Lord  for  forgiveness;   which  they  did. 

This  outbreak  was  but  the  precursor  and  type 
of  many  others  that  afterwards  troubled  the  little 
company.    Another,  which  occurred  shortly  after, 


Nephi.  270 

originated  in  so  apparently  trivial  an  accident  as 
the  breaking  of  Nephi's  bow,  while  in  the  Ara- 
bian desert.  It  appears  that  in  one  of  their  ex- 
peditions for  food  Nephi,  who  was  their  most 
expert  hunter,  broke  this  bow,  which  was  made 
of  fine  steel.  Because  of  this  misfortune  they  ob- 
tained no  food,  and,  as  a  result,  they  became 
very  hungry.  Being  hungry,  they  grew  quarrel- 
some and  rebellious.  To  such  an  extent  did  this 
spirit  prevail  in  the  camp,  that  even  Lehi  so  far 
forgot  himself  as  to  murmur  against  the  provi- 
dences of  God.  Nephi,  ever  faithful,  alone  refrained 
from  complaining  against  the  Lord ;  he  exhorted 
his  brethren,  as  was  his  custom  in  times  of  trouble 
and  sorrow,  to  put  away  the  hardness  of  their 
hearts  and  humble  themselves  before  the  Lord  and 
then  all  would  be  well  with  them.  His  words 
had  their  effedl.  Lehi  felt  truly  chastened,  and 
was  brought  down  into  the  depths  of  sorrow. 
When  in  this  condition  the  word  of  the  Lord  came 
to  him,  and  he  was  instrudled  to  look  upon  the 
Liahona,  and  read  the  things  that  were  written 
thereon.  The  reproof  that  was  written  on  the 
ball  was  such  as  to  make  Lehi  tremble  exceed- 
ingly, but  it  also  brought  relief  to  the  party,  as  the 
writing  instrudled  them  where  food  could  be  ob- 
tained. Nephi,  having  made  a  bow  out  of  wood, 
went  with  it  and  with  a  sling  and  stones,  and 
found  the  game  in  the  place  that  the  writing  had 
indicated.  He  slew  enough  for  food  for  all  the 
company.  When  he  returned  to  the  tents  of  his 
people,  bearing  the  beasts  he  had  slain,  there  was 
great  rejoicing  in  the  hearts  of  all,  and  they  hum- 
bled themselves  before  the  Lord  and  gave  thanks 
to  Him. 

When  the  people  of  Lehi  reached  the  sea  shore 
they  rejoiced  greatly  that  their  tedious  wander- 
ings were  over;  for  the^^  had  not  traveled  in  a 
straight  line  from  coast  to  coast,  but  had  wan- 
dered around   and  about  as  the  Liahona  diredled 


271  Nephi. 

them,  which  worked  according  to  their  faith  and 
faithfulness.  Eight  3'cars  had  been  spent  in 
taking  a  journey  which,  had  they  been  as  faithful 
as  they  should  have  been,  would  only  have  oc- 
cupied a  few  weeks  or  months. 

They  pitched  their  tents  by  the  sea  shore,  and 
after  many  days,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
Nephi,  saying,  ** Arise,  and  get  thee  into  the  mount- 
ain." As  ever,  Nephi  obeyed  the  heavenly  word. 
He  went  up  into  the  mountain,  and  there  cried 
unto  the  Lord.  Then  the  Lord  spoke  unto  him 
and  commanded  him  to  build  a  ship,  after  a 
manner  and  pattern  that  He  would  show  him, 
that  the  people  might  be  carried  across  the  great 
waters  that  lay  before  them. 

Here  a  difficulty  presented  itself  to  the  mind  of 
Nephi.  He  had  no  tools,  and  how  was  it  possible 
to  build  a  ship  without  the  proper  instruments. 
So  he  laid  the  matter  before  the  Lord,  who,  in 
answer  to  his  prayers,  told  him  where  he  could 
find  ore  with  which  he  might  make  the  tools  he 
needed. 

Nephi  at  once  proceeded  to  carry  out  the 
commands  of  the  Lord.  With  the  skins  of  beasts 
he  made  a  bellows  to  blow  the  fire,  but  fire  as  yet 
he  had  none,  as  the  Lord  had  not  permitted  a  fire 
to  be  lighted  in  the  wilderness.  So  he  smote  two 
stones  together,  and  their  first  fire  was  lighted 
since  the  company  left  the  borders  of  the  Red  Sea. 
When  his  forge  was  made  and  his  fire  was  lit, 
Nephi  began  to  melt  the  ore  that  he  had  ob- 
tained to  make  the  tools  that  he  needed. 

When  his  brothers  saw  that  Nephi  was  about 
to  build  a  ship,  they  began  to  ridicule  him.  They 
would  give  him  no  help,  for  they  did  not  believe  he 
was  instrucfted  of  the  Lord.  Nephi  became  very 
sorrowful  because  of  the  hardness  of  their  hearts. 
When  they  saw  this  they  were  glad,  and  taunt- 
ingly told  him  they  knew  that  he  was  lacking  in 
judgment  and  could  not  accomplish  so  great  a 


Nephi.  272 

work  as  to  build  a  ship.  Then  Nephi  recounted 
many  things  wherein  the  power  of  God  had  been 
manifested  in  the  deliverance  of  their  fathers ; 
all  of  which  he  impressed  upon  them  as  a 
lesson  that  when  God  commanded,  men  should 
obey  without  doubt,  or  without  question. 
Said  he,  "If  God  had  commanded  me  to  do  all 
things,  I  could  do  them.  If  He  should  command 
me  that  I  should  say  to  this  water.  Be  thou  earth, 
it  would  be  earth.  Then  how  much  less  is  it  to 
build  one  ship  than  to  do  the  marvelous  works  of 
which  I  have  told  you." 

At  first  when  Nephi  held  out  these  great  truths 
to  his  brethren,  they  were  angry  and  threatened 
to  throw  him  into  the  sea;  but  the  Spirit  of 
God  was  so  powerfully  upon  him,  that  they 
dared  not  touch  him  lest  they  wither;  even  if  he 
but  held  out  his  hand  towards  them,  they  received 
a  shock. 

After  a  time  the  Lord  told  him  to  stretch 
forth  his  hand  again  toward  his  brethren,  and 
that  they  should  not  wither;  but  the  power  of 
God  should  smite  them;  and  this  he  was  com- 
manded to  do  that  they  might  know  that  the 
Lord  was  their  God.  So  Nephi  stretched  forth  his 
hand  as  he  w^as  commanded,  and  the  Lord  shook 
them  as  He  had  promised.  Then  they  fell  down 
to  worship  their  younger  brother,  who  in  times 
past  they  had  so  much  abused ;  but  he  would 
not  permit  them.  He  said,  "I  am  your  brother, 
even  your  younger  brother,  wherefore  worship  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  honor  thy  father  and  thy 
mother." 

Then  the  brothers  of  Nephi  worshiped  the 
Lord,  and  showed  their  repentance  by  helping 
Nephi  to  build  the  j^hip;  while  he,  from  time  to 
time,  received  the  word  of  the  Lord  as  to  how  he 
should  work  its  timbers ;  for  he  did  not  work  after 
the  manner  of  the  ship-builders  of  that  time,  nor 
after  any  manner  that  men  were  accustomed  to. 


273  Nephi. 

But  he  built  the  ship  just  as  the  Lord  had  shown 
it  to  him ;  and  he  often  went  up  into  the  mount 
and  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and  God  showed  him 
many  great  things. 

Now  when  the  vessel  was  finished,  Nephi's 
brothers  saw  that  it  was  good,  and  its  workman- 
ship exceedingly  fine,  therefore  they  again  humbled 
themselves  before  Heaven.  Then  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  came  to  them  and  commanded  them  to  go 
on  board,  which  word  they  willingly  obeyed,  and 
at  once  put  forth  to  sea.  The  vessel  was  then 
driven  by  the  winds  towards  the  promised  land. 
After  they  had  been  sailing  prosperously  for  a 
number  of  days,  the  hearts  of  Nephi's  brothers 
and  of  the  sons  of  Ishmael  and  others  grew  merry 
and  in  their  merriment  they  forgot  the  Lord.  They 
danced  and  sang  and  became  very  boisterous  and 
rude.  This  condudl  pained  Nephi  exceedingly. 
He  feared  lest  God  should  be  angry  with  them  and 
smite  them.  Therefore  he  began  to  protest  with 
much  seriousness  against  the  course  they  w^ere 
taking;  but  they  grew  angry  with  him,  and  his 
two  elder  brothers,  Laman  and  Lemuel,  took  him 
and  bound  him.  So  furious  were  they  that  they 
treated  him  with  great  harshness,  binding  the 
cords  so  tightly  around  his  limbs  that  they  caused 
him  much  suffering. 

Then  the  Liahona  ceased  to  work.  It  had 
been  direcfting  the  course  of  the  ship  thus  far,  but 
now  that  they  had  rebelled  against  the  Lord  it 
would  no  longer  point  the  way  that  they  should 
sail.  They  were  in  a  dilemma,  for  not  one  of  them 
knew  which  way  the  ship  should  be  steered.  To 
add  to  their  trouble  and  perplexity  there  arose  a 
great  and  terrible  tempest,  and  the  ship  was 
driven  back  upon  the  waters  for  three  days;  and 
though  they  were  afraid  that  the  raging  waters 
would  engulf  their  little  vessel,  yet  so  hardened 
were  they  that  they  would  not  loose  Nephi. 

On  the  fourth  day  matters  were  still  worse. 


Nephi.  274 

There  appeared  to  be  no  hope,  but  that  they 
would  be  swallowed  up  in  the  sea.  Then,  and 
not  till  then,  did  they  seem  to  understand  that  the 
judgments  of  God  were  upon  them,  and  that  they 
must  unavoidably  perish  unless  they  repented. 
Then  they  reludlantly  loosened  the  bands  which 
bound  Nephi's  wrists  and  ankles,  and  let  him  go 
free.  But  his  limbs,  by  reason  of  the  wa^^  in 
which  he  had  been  bound,  were  swollen,  and  he 
tells  us  great  was  the  soreness  thereof.  Neverthe- 
less, in  all  his  afflidlions  he  never  murmured. 

During  the  time  that  Nephi  had  been  thus 
bound,  his  father  Lehi  had  begged  most  earnestly 
for  the  release  of  his  son,  but  the  rebels  threatened 
everyone  who  sought  Nephi's  release;  and  his 
parents  who  had  now  grown  aged,  were  brought 
down  to  sickbeds  by  reason  of  their  afflictions  and 
came  very  near  to  being  cast  into  a  watery  grave. 

When  Nephi  was  freed  he  took  the  compass, 
and  it  commenced  to  work  as  before.  He  prayed 
to  the  Lord,  after  which  the  winds  ceased  to  blow, 
the  storm  passed  away,  and  there  was  a  great 
calm.  Then  Nephi  took  charge  of  the  ship  and 
guided  it  in  its  course  towards  the  promised  land, 
which,  after  many  days  it  reached  in  safety. 

Arrived  on  the  land  of  promise,  they  found  it 
rich  in  minerals,  and  fruitful.  The  little  colony 
at  once  proceeded  to  sow  the  seeds  they  had 
brought  with  them  and  were  delighted  to  find 
that  they  frucftified  and  brought  forth  abundantly ; 
and  all  might  have  been  peace  and  happiness  in 
their  midst  had  it  not  been  for  the  murderous 
jealousy  of  Lam  an  and  his  associates.  After  a 
time,  Lehi  called  his  posterity  and  others  together 
and  blessed  them.  Many  and  glorious  were  the 
promises  made  by  the  patriarch  to  Nephi.  Soon 
after  this,  Lehi  passed  away  to  his  eternal  reward. 

No  sooner  was  Lehi  dead  than  the  hatred 
that  rankled  in  the  hearts  of  Laman  and  those 
who  sympathized  with  him  seems  to  have  become 


275  Nephi. 

intensified.  It  became  evident  that  the  two  peo- 
ples could  not  live  together  in  peace.  They  had 
nothing  in  common  except  that  they  belonged  to 
the  same  family.  Laman's  vindidliveness  grew  so 
cruel  that  Nephi's  life  was  in  danger;  and,  as  the 
readiest  wa)^  out  of  the  difficulty,  Nephi  was  in- 
strudled  of  the  Lord  to  take  those  who  would 
listen  to  his  teachings  and  obey  the  command- 
ments of  God  into  some  other  part  of  the  land. 
Therefore,  he  gathered  together  those  people  who 
would  hearken  to  him,  and,  taking  that  portion 
of  the  property  that  belonged  to  them,  as  also 
the  sacred  records,  the  sword  of  Laban,  the  Lia- 
hona  and  other  treasures,  they  departed  into  the 
wilderness.  Those  who  listened  to  Nephi  and  ac- 
companied him  on  this  journey  were,  besides  his 
own  family,  his  brothers  Sam,  Jacob  and  Joseph, 
his  sisters,  whose  names  are  not  given,  and  Zoram, 
with  their  families.  There  might  have  been,  pos- 
sibly, some  others,  as  we  are  led  to  infer  from  the 
statement  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  but  who  they 
were  we  are  not  told. 

The  distance  which  Nephi  and  his  people  trav- 
eled was  not,  probably,  very  great;  that  is,  it 
is  not  to  be  measured  by  thousands  of  miles,  for 
we  find  that  in  a  very  few  years  the  Lamanites 
had  found  out  their  place  of  retreat,  and  were 
harassing  and  making  war  upon  them. 

The  Nephites  desired  that  the  land  they  now 
possessed  should  be  called  the  land  of  Nephi; 
and  this  was  the  name  by  which  it  was  always 
afterward  known.  The  people  of  Nephi  made  yet 
another  request.  It  was  that  Nephi  should  be 
their  king.  This  desire  did  not  altogether  please 
him ;  but  for  the  safety  of  his  people  he  consented. 
The  kingly  power  in  his  hands  partook  much  of 
the  nature  of  fatherhood.  His  people  were  few 
in  numbers,  and  he  looked  after  their  individual 
interests,  guided  them  in  their  undertakings,  di- 
recfted  them  in  their  labors,  and  when  he  found 


Nephi.  276 

that  there  was  danger  of  an  attack  from  the 
embittered  adherents  of  Laman,he  took  the  sword 
of  Laban,  and,  using  it  as  a  pattern,  fashioned 
other  swords  for  their  defense.  Being  thus  pre- 
pared for  the  attacks  of  their  enemies,  the  Ne- 
phites  repulsed  them  every  time  they  came  to 
battle. 

Nephi  also  taught  his  people  to  be  industrious. 
They  were  a  lonely  people,  cut  off  from  communi- 
cation with  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  without 
excitements,  and  with  very  few  amusements  that 
are  common  to  most  peoples.  He  knew  that 
nothing  would  be  so  dangerous  to  their  spiritual 
welfare,  as  well  as  to  their  health,  as  to  permit 
them  to  spend  their  da3^s  in  idleness.  He,  therefore, 
taught  them  many  kinds  of  work,  the  women  to 
take  the  wool  of  the  sheep  and  the  hair  of  the 
llamas  and  make  clothes  thereof;  while  upon  the 
men  devolved  the  labor  of  building  a  temple. 
Holding  the  Holy  Priesthood  himself,  he  conse- 
crated his  brothers  Jacob  and  Joseph  to  be  priests 
also. 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  Lehi  and  his  little 
party  on  this  continent,  Nephi  received  a  com- 
mandment from  the  Lord  to  make  certain  plates 
of  ore  on  which  to  engrave  the  doings  of  his 
people.  And  a  few  years  later  Nephi  received 
further  instructions,  wherein  he  was  commanded 
to  make  other  plates  upon  which  also  were  to  be 
engraven  the  history  of  the  Nephite  people.  By 
them,  both  these  plates  were  called  the  plates  of 
Nephi,  but  they  w^ere  not  used  for  identically  the 
same  purpose.  Upon  one  set  of  plates  was  in- 
scribed the  religious  history  of  the  people,  upon 
the  other  was  given  in  greater  detail  the  history 
of  their  wars,  contentions,  development  and  other 
secular  matters. 

Some  years  later,  how  long  we  are  not  told, 
Nephi  anointed  another  man  to  be  king  over  his 
people,    and    then,  having   grown    old,   he    died. 


277  Nephi. 

So  greatly  was  he  beloved  by  his  subjedls  that  the 
people  called  the  next  king,  Nephi  the  second,  the 
next,  Nephi  the  third,  and  so  on.  He  had  been 
their  prophet,  priest  and  king;  father,  friend  and 
guide;  prote(fbor,  teacher  and  leader;  next  to  God, 
their  all  in  all. 

NEPHI,  THE  SON  OE  HELAMAN.  In 
Nephi  we  have  one  of  the  greatest  prophets  that 
ever  trod  the  earth,  or  to  whom  the  God  of  our 
salvation  revealed  His  glorious  w^ill.  He  lived 
during  the  greater  portion  of  the  first  century 
before  Christ,  and  disappeared  from  the  knowledge 
of  mankind  but  a  short  time  before  the  advent  of 
the  Messiah  in  Bethlehem.  He  is  first  referred  to 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (B.  C.  44)  as  the  elder  of 
Helaman's  two  sons,  Lehi  being  the  younger. 
These  two  brothers  appear  to  have  been  insepar- 
able during  their  life;  they  are  almost  always 
mentioned  as  associated  in  the  great  and  oft-times 
perilous  labors  of  the  ministry  undertaken  for  the 
salvation  of  either  Nephites  or  Lamanites.  We 
have  no  information  with  regard  to  the  time  of 
Nephi's  birth,  but  when  his  father  died,  in  the  year 
B.  C.  39,  he  succeeded  him  as  chief  judge,  the 
duties  of  which  office  he  filled  with  wisdom  and 
justice  for  about  nine  years,  when,  owing  to  the 
wickedness  of  the  people,  he  resigned  that  office, 
and  Cezoram  was  chosen  by  the  people  in  his  stead 
(B.C.  30). 

The  years  that  Nephi  judged  his  people  are 
some  of  the  darkest  in  Nephite  history.  Owing  to 
their  great  pride  and  iniquity,  the  Lord  left  them 
to  themselves,  and  they  became  weak  like  unto 
the  Lamanites,  man  for  man.  When  war  was 
declared,  the  latter,  being  much  the  more  numer- 
ous carried  ever3^ thing  before  them.  In  vain  the 
Nephites  under  Moronihah  struggled  for  their 
homes  and  their  liberties.  They  were  forced  back 
by  the  hordes  of  the  Lamanites  from  city  to  city, 
from  land  to  land.    Not  a  place  could  be  found  in 


Nephi.  278 

the  whole  southern  continent  where  the  soldiers  of 
the  Nephites  successfully  held  their  ground.  With 
hurried  hands  they  built  a  line  of  defense  across 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  from  sea  to  sea,  for  the 
hosts  of  their  conquerors  were  still  pushing  north- 
ward. This  line  of  fortifications  stopped  the  roll 
of  the  barbaric  tide  northward,  and  the  Lamanite 
commanders  rested  with  the  conquest  of  a  conti- 
nent. 

These  richly  deserved  misfortunes  brought  the 
Nephites  partly  to  their  senses— they  began  to 
repent.  Taking  advantage  of  this  change  in  the 
state  of  their  feeling,  Nephi,  Lehi,  and  their  general, 
Moronihah  preached  energetically,  and  uttered 
many  prophecies  concerning  what  w^ould  most 
assuredly  come  upon  them  if  they  did  not  amend 
their  ways.  After  a  time,  Moronihah  felt  that 
they  had  sufficiently  humbled  themselves  for  the 
Lord  to  measurabl}"  be  with  them,  and  he  once 
more  ventured  to  lead  his  warriors  against  the 
Lamanites.  Step  by  step  they  regained  their 
former  possessions,  until  all  the  most  northern 
settlements  had  been  reoccupied.  Further  than 
this  Moronihah  dared  not  venture,  the  conducft  of 
the  people  was  not  sufficiently  reformed,  they  had 
not  repented  in  fulness  of  heart  and  purpose.  So 
he  waited  in  the  hope  of  a  better  and  brighter  day, 
when  the  people  would  have  thoroughly  turned 
from  all  their  besetting  sins,  and  when  he,  in  the 
strength  of  the  God  of  Israel,  could  lead  them  on 
to  vi(fhory.  Thus  Zarahemla  still  remained  in  the 
hands  of  the  foe. 

When  Nephi  retired  from  the  judgment  seat,  it 
was  with  the  intention  of  devoting  his  entire  time 
to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  He  associated  his 
brother  Lehi  with  him,  and  commencing  at  the 
most  northerly  settlement  on  the  southern  con- 
tinent— Bountiful — he  journeyed  and  preached 
throughout  all  the  land  southward  in  the  posses- 
sion   of    the    Nephites.     From    thence    the    two 


279  Nephi. 

brothers  passed  onward  to  Zarahemla,  where  they 
found  many  Nephite  dissenters,  to  whom  they 
proclaimed  the  word  of  God  in  great  power. 
Numbers  of  these  confessed  their  sins,  were  bap- 
tized unto  repentance,  and  immediately  returned 
to  their  brethren  to  repair,  if  possible,  the  wrongs 
they  had  done,  and  make  such  restitution  as  lay 
in  their  power.  Numbers  of  the  Lamanites  also 
received  the  truth  gladly,  insomuch  that  eight 
thousand  of  them  were  baptized  in  Zarahemla  and 
the  regions  round  about. 

From  Zarahemla,  Nephi  and  Lehi  proceeded 
south  to  the  land  of  Nephi,  where  they  were  cap- 
tured by  an  army  of  the  Lamanites,  and  thrust 
into  the  very  same  prison  in  w^hich  Awmon,  Helem 
and  Hem  were  beforetime  confined.  Here  they 
were  treated  w^ith  great  inhumanity  by  their 
savage  captors ,  food  was  denied  them,  and  it  w^as 
decided  to  kill  them.  When  the  officers  com- 
missioned with  the  carrying  out  of  this  cruel  de- 
cision arrived  at  the  prison,  they  found  the  two 
prophets  encircled  about  as  if  bj-  a  pillar  of  fire. 
This  sight  filled  them  with  awe;  they  dared  not 
attempt  to  execute  their  orders ;  they  held  back 
from  laying  hands  on  the  prisoners,  lest  they 
should  be  burned ,  but  they  also  observed  that  the 
two  brothers  stood  unhurt  and  unterrified  in  the 
midst  of  the  ascending  flames.  Emboldened  by 
the  trepidation  of  the  Lamanite  officials,  Nephi 
and  Lehi  stood  forth  and  explained  to  them  that 
it  was  by  the  power  of  God  that  this  marvelous 
thing  had  happened;  that  it  had  been  manifested 
that  they  might  learn  that  no  one  could  harm 
them,  that  the^^  were  the  servants  of  the  Most 
High,  and  His  almighty  arm  shielded  them» 
Nor  was  this  all :  a  sudden  earthquake  shook  the 
ground,  the  prison  walls  tottered  to  their  founda- 
tions, a  pall  of  thick  darkness  covered  all  whom 
curiosity  or  other  motives  had  gathered  to  the 
prison.   The  unburning  flame,  the  tottering  walls, 


Nephi.  280 

the  quivering  earth,  the  impenetrable  cloud  of 
blackness,  all  conspired  to  fill  their  hearts  with 
solemn  fear  and  awful  dread.  They  realized  the 
almighty  power  of  God ;  they  were  filled  with  the 
sense  of  their  own  abjedl  insignificance.  A.  voice, 
the  voice  of  One  whom  they  knew  not,  sounded  in 
their  afirighted  ears,  once,  and  again,  yea,  a  third 
time,  and  each  time  that  the  voice  came  it  was 
followed  by  the  trembling  of  the  earth  and  the 
shaking  of  the  prison  walls.  All  nature  quivered 
at  the  presence  of  the  Majesty  on  High,  while  the 
heavy,  palpable,  impenetrable  darkness  still  en- 
shrouded them.  From  above  the  voice  descended, 
it  was  outside  the  cloud,  its  tones  came  not  to 
their  quaking  hearts  with  the  roar  of  the  pealing 
thunder,  nor  was  it  like  the  tumultuous  flow  of 
angry,  raging  waters,  but  it  was  "  a  still  voice  of 
perfedl  mildness,"  almost  a  whisper,  that  pierced 
to  their  inmost  souls.  That  voice  was  the  voice  of 
the  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  and  He  called  upon  all 
those  who  heard  Him  to  repent,  and  to  do  His  serv- 
ants no  ill,  and  with  the  third  repetition  of  this 
command  were  added  marvelous  words  of  salva- 
tion that  cannot  be  uttered  by  men.  And  because 
of  the  thick  pall  cf  darkness  that  enveloped  them, 
and  the  fearful  dread  that  filled  their  hearts,  none 
dared  move;  fear,  astonishment,  apprehension  of 
what  was  to  come,  had  riveted  each  to  the  spot 
on  which  he  stood. 

Now  among  the  crowd  was  a  Nephite  dissen- 
ter, an  apostate  from  the  true  Church,  named 
Aniinadah.  This  man,  happening  to  turn  his  face 
in  the  direction  where  the  two  prophets  stood, 
beheld  that  their  faces  shone  with  a  glorious  light, 
and  that  they  were  conversing  with  some  one 
who  appeared  to  be  above  them,  for  their  eyes 
were  turned  heavenward.  Aminadab  drew  the 
attention  of  those  who  surrounded  him  *to  this 
glorious  appearance,  and  the  spell  that  bound 
them  was  sufficiently  removed  to  enable  them  to 


281  Nephi. 

turn  towards  the  prisoners  and  to  become  wit- 
nesses of  the  fa6l  also.  "What  do  all  these  things 
mean?"  they  anxiously  inquired.  "They  do  con- 
verse with  the  angels  of  God,"  answered  Aminadab. 
What  shall  we  do  that  this  cloud  of  darkness, 
must  repent  and  cry  unto  the  Voice,  even  until  ye 
may  be  removed?  "was  their  next  question.  "You 
shall  have  faith  in  Christ,"  he  replied.  They  did 
cry  unto  God  with  all  the  energy  that  their  terrify- 
ing surroundings  inspired,  and  so  continued  to 
supplicate  until  the  cloud  was  dispersed,  when,  to 
their  great  surprise,  they  discovered  that  they  also 
were  entombed  in  a  pillar  of  living  fire.  Yet  this 
fire  did  not  hurt  them,  it  did  not  singe  their  gar- 
ments, it  did  not  consume  the  prison  walls,  but 
their  terror  was  swept  away,  and  they  were  filled 
with  a  joy  that  was  unspeakable,  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God  filled  their  souls,  and  they  broke 
forth  in  marvelous  words  of  praise  and  rejoicing. 
Again,  a  pleasant,  searching  whisper  reached  their 
gladdened  ears.  It  said  unto  them,  "Peace,  peace 
be  unto  you  because  of  your  faith  in  my  well- 
beloved,  who  was  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."  Now  there  were  about  300  souls  who 
heard  and  saw  these  things,  and  they  cast  up  their 
eyes  unto  heaven,  which  was  opened  to  their 
vision,  and  holy  angels  came  down  and  ministered 
unto  them. 

The  tidings  of  this  glorious  appearing  were 
quickly  spread  near  and  far  in  the  lands  where  the 
Lamanites  dwelt,  and  so  powerful  was  the  testi- 
mony and  so  great  were  the  evidences,  that  the 
major  portion  of  the  people  believed,  repented  and 
obeyed  the  Gospel.  Then,  like  all  true  Saints, 
they  manifested  the  sincerity  of  their  repentance 
by  works  of  restitution;  they  laid  down  their 
weapons  of  war,  they  cast  aside  their  false  tradi- 
tions, their  hatred  gave  place  to  love,  and  they 
restored  to  the  Nephites  Zaraherala  and  the  other 
lands  they  had  taken  from  them  (B.  C.  30).    So 


Nephi.  282 

great  was  the  reformation  in  their  charadler,  so 
radical  was  the  change  in  their  habits,  that  they 
soon  exceeded  the  Nephites  in  faith  and  works  of 
righteousness.  It  is  a  lamentable  fa(5l  that  at  this 
time  many  of  the  latter  had  become  hardened, 
impenitent  and  grossly  wicked.  But  there  were 
those  who  still  remained  faithful  to  the  truth, 
whose  hearts  greatly-  rejoiced  at  the  conversion  of 
their  former  foes.  This  joy  was,  the  next  year, 
greatly  increased  by  the  arrival  of  many  mission- 
aries from  among  the  hitherto  darkened  and 
benighted  people.  The  tables  were  turned,  the 
two  races  had  changed  places ;  Laman  was  teach- 
ing Nephi  the  ways  of  holiness  and  the  law  of  the 
Lord.  And  God  was  abundantly  with  them,  His 
matchless  power  attended  them ;  they  opened 
their  mouths  and  He  filled  them  with  inspired 
words  of  truth.  The  Holy  Spirit  sealed  their 
utterances,  and  many  of  the  Nephites  believed. 
Nor  were  Nephi  and  Lehi  idle,  they  v^ere  sounding 
the  Gospel  trump,  long  and  loud,  in  lordly  Zara- 
hemla  and  its  tributary  distridls,  and  then,  with 
many  of  the  Lamanite  priesthood,  they  proceeded 
to  the  land  northward. 

Peace  throughout  the  vast  continent  from 
north  to  south,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific, 
followed  this  reformation.  A  Nephite  could  visit 
and  do  business  in  every  part  of  the  wide  land,  and 
so  could  a  Lamanite.  This  goodly  peace  brought 
stabilit3%  stability  brought  wealth,  wealth  engen- 
dered pride,  pride  gave  birth  to  numerous  sins,  to 
be  followed  by  contentions,  dissensions,  and  then 
wars.  These  evils  begat  sorrow,  sorrow  softened 
their  heart  to  repentance,  repentance  was  followed 
by  the  blessing  of  God  which  again  brought  peace, 
prosperity  and,  by-and-bj^e.  riches.  And  at  this 
era  of  Nephite  national  life,  this  is  the  one  eternal 
round  which  their  inspired  historians  are  com- 
pelled to  chronicle.  Within  four  short  years  of  the 
happy    time    of    universal    peace    we    have    just 


283  Nephi. 

referred  to,  the  riches  of  the  world  had  induced 
stubborness  and  rebellion  towards  God,  combined 
with  the  insane  desire  to  rob,  plunder  and  murder 
their  fellow-men.  If  there  ever  were  a  people  swift 
to  do  evil,  they  were  the  Nephites  of  that  genera- 
tion. In  theyearB.  C.26,Ce2oram,the  chief  judge, 
was  murdered  by  an  unknown  hand,  as  he  sat  on 
the  judgment  seat,  and  his  son,  who  succeeded 
him,  suffered  in  like  manner  within  the  year.  The 
Gadianton  robbers  grew  in  strength,  numerically 
and  morally,  and  were  actually  fostered  among 
the  Nephites,  while  the  more  righteous  Lamanites 
utterly  destroyed  all  that  they  found  within  their 
borders.  The  one  people  dwindled  in  unbelief,  the 
other  grew  in  grace  and  in  the  power  of  God's 
divine  Spirit. 

Nephi  tarried  on  the  northern  continent  until 
the  3"ear  B.  C.  23,  when,  his  teachings  and  his 
prophecies  having  been  rejedled  by  its  inhabitants, 
he  returned  in  sorrow  to  Zarahemla;  but  he  found 
no  comfort  there.  The  Gadianton  robbers  filled 
the  judgment  seats,  and  perverted  the  law  to  their 
own  avarice  and  lust.  The  life,  the  property,  the 
liberty,  the  virtue  of  righteous  men  and  women 
were  counted  as  things  of  naught,  their  play- 
things or  their  spoil. 

Nephi's  house  in  Zarahemla  was  situated  on 
one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  which  led  to  the 
chief  market-place.  In  his  garden,  near  the  high- 
way, he  built  a  tower,  whither  it  was  his  wont  to 
repair  for  prayer.  On  one  occasion,  shortly  after 
his  return  from  the  north,  he  became  so  deeply 
concerned  because  of  the  iniquities  of  the  people, 
that  in  earnest  supplication  to  the  Lord  he  raised 
his  voice  so  high  that  he  was  heard  by  the  passers- 
by  in  the  street  below.  A  listening  crowd  soon 
gathered,  and  when  the  prophet  had  ended  his 
devotions  and  become  aware  of  their  presence,  he 
commenced  to  teach  them.  His  words  were  not 
sugar-coated,  to  adapt  them  to  the  predelidlions 


Nephi.  284 

of  his  congregation.  To  the  contrary,  he  boldly 
rebtlkfed  their  sins,  their  murders,  their  whore- 
doms, their  secret  iniquities,  at  the  same  time,  in 
the  love  of  the  Gospel,  entreating,  beseeching  and 
pleading  with  them  to  amend  their  lives  and  do 
better.  He  also  warned  them  of  the  terrible, 
impending  judgments  that  would  inevitably  fall 
upon  them  if  they  repented  not.  His  words  caused 
a  division  among  his  hearers,  some  clamoring  for 
his  arrest  and  imprisonment  as  one  who  bore  false 
testimony  and  reviled  the  law,  while  others  main- 
tained that  he  spoke  the  truth  and  was  a  prophet. 
To  prove  to  their  sin-darkened  minds  that  the  pro- 
phetic gift  was  with  him,  he  told  them  to  send  to 
the  hall  of  judgment,  and  that  there  they  would 
find  the  chief  judge  murdered,  lying  in  his  blood; 
yet  more,  that  the  murderer  was  the  vidlim's 
brother.  Five  of  the  crowd  hastened  to  prove  his 
words.  They  hurried  to  the  judgment  hall, 
where  they  found  the  chief  magistrate  in  the  con- 
dition that  Nephi  had  declared.  Other  citizens, 
who  knew  nothing  of  Nephi's  words,  having 
entered  the  hall  and  finding  the  five  men  there 
with  the  dead  body,  concluded  that  they  were 
the  assassins,  and  consigned  them  to  prison. 
And  some  of  the  most  hardened  afterwards 
charged  Nephi  with  being  an  accomplice  before  the 
a6l,  and  that  he  had  arranged  the  whole  affair  to 
obtain  influence  with  the  people,  so  that  they 
would  believe  and  accept  his  dodlrine.  On  this 
charge  he  was  bound  and  imprisoned.  By  thew^is- 
dom  that  Heaven  gave  him  so  abundantly,  he  was 
enabled  to  baffle  this  attempt  on  his  life,  and 
through  his  instrumentality  the  murdered  judge's 
brother  having  been  brought  to  confess  his  crime, 
Nephi  was  delivered  from  his  traducers  and  set  at 
liberty.  Some  of  the  citizens  now  acknowledged 
that  he  was  a  prophet,  others  declared  that  he 
was  a  god,  while  many  remained  hardened  in 
their  sins.    So  violent  became  the  contention,  that 


285  Nephi. 

the  people  gathered  in  excited  crowds  upon  the 
streets,  wrangling  and  disputing  about  the  events 
of  the  past  two  days.  In  their  excitement  they 
entirely  forgot  Nephi,  and  left  him  standing  alone 
in  the  street.  With  a  sorrowful  heart  he  wended 
his  way  homeward ;  but  before  he  reached  there, 
the  voice  of  the  Lord  came  to  him  with  many 
words  of  comfort  and  commendation.  As  with 
others  of  His  servants,  the  Lord  made  a  covenant 
with  him,  that  whatsoever  he  bound  on  earth 
should  be  bound  in  "heaven,  and  whatsoever  he 
loosed  on  earth  should  be  loosed  in  heaven ;  that 
he  should  have  power  over  the  elements  to  bless 
and  to  curse ;  to  smite  the  earth  with  famine  and 
pestilence  and  destruction,  and  that  none  should 
have  power  to  hurt  him.  The  Almighty  then 
dire(?ted  him  to  return  and  again  raise  his  cry  of 
repentance  in  the  cities  of  the  Nephites.  He 
obeyed,  and  lifted  up  his  voice  in  solemn  warning; 
he  went  from  multitude  to  multitude,  from  city  to, 
city,  from  land  to  land,  but  without  effe(?t.  Some- 
times, when  he  thus  warned  his  fellow-men,  the3^ 
sought  to  imprison  and  otherwise  maltreat  him, 
but  the  Spirit  of  God  would  bear  him  out  of  their 
midst  to  labor  in  some  other  place.  In  this  man- 
ner three  years  passed  away ;  contentions  and 
wars,  murder  and  violence,  filled  the  land. 

Atlast,  wearied  with  beholding  so  much  misery 
and  contention,  Nephi  prayed  that  the  Lord  would 
not  suffer  the  people  to  be  destroyed  by  the 
sword,  but  rather  let  a  famine  desolate  the  land 
and,  perad venture,  bring  the  people  to  an  under- 
standing of  their  awful  condition,  and  cause  them 
to  humble  themselves  and  repent.  God  heard  and 
answered  his  petition,  the  heavens  became  as 
brass  over  the  land,  the  rains  ceased,  the  earth 
dried  up,  the  crops  failed,  the  people  perished  for 
want   of  food. 

Two  years  passed  (B.  C.  19  and  18)  and  the 
third  came ;  but  still  the  refreshing  rain  was  with- 


Nephi.  286 

held  (B.  C.  17).  During  this  year  the  people, 
humbled  by  their  sufferings,  turned  towards  the 
Lord.  They  endeavored  to  root  out  iniquity  from 
their  midst.  They  destroyed  the  Gadianton  rob- 
ber bands,  and  established  the  government  on 
a  more  righteous  foundation.  Nephi,  observing  the 
change  in  their  condudl  and  feelings,  interceeded 
with  the  Lord  in  their  behalf  His  prayers  were 
answered,  the  welcome  rain  descended  on  the 
parched-up  soil,  and  a  bounteous  harvest  once 
more  crowned  the  labors  of  the  husbandman  (B. 
C.  16). 

The  repentant  people  now  regarded  Nephi  in 
his  true  light ;  f hey  revered  him  as  a  great 
prophet,  and  for  a  few  short  years  they  listened  to 
his  teachings.  While  they  did  so  they  prospered. 
But  the  leaven  of  unrighteousness  had  too  thor- 
oughly permeated  the  national  life  for  their  faith- 
fulness to  God  to  be  of  long  duration.  For  two, 
three,  or  perhaps  half  a  dozen  years  they  would 
maintain  their  integrity,  and  then  corruption 
would  seethe,  the  vile  would  snatch  the  reins  of 
government,  the  good  would  be  oppressed,  and 
contention  and  war,  with  all  their  horrors,  would 
again  reign  supreme.  Thus  it  was  after  the  three 
years  of  famine.  For  two  years  there  was  peace, 
in  the  third  there  began  to  be  much  strife  (B. 
C.  13),  in  the  next,  the  Gadianton  bands  reap- 
peared, and  carried  havoc  among  their  more 
peaceable  fellow-countrymen.  Going  on,  year  by 
year,  they  grew  in  iniquity  and  ripened  for  de- 
struction. For  many  years  Nephi  strove  to  stem 
the  tide  of  vice.  At  times  partial  success  re- 
warded his  unceasing  efforts,  and  he  had  joy  in  the 
baptism  of  some  honest  souls.  But  the  great 
bulk  of  the  people  had  reje<5led  the  gospel,  they 
had  no  love  for  its  holy  principles,  and  were  unfit 
for  its  blessings. 

Shortly  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  Nephi  trans- 
ferred   the   plates  of  brass  and  other  records  to 


287   Nephi,  the  Disciple, 

his  son  Nephi,  gave  him  charge  concerning  them , 
and  departed  from  the  landof  Zarahemla.  Whither 
he  went,  or  what  became  of  him,  is  hidden  from 
the  knowledge  of  mankind.  That  he  did  not 
return  to  the  dwelling-places  of  humanity  is  testi- 
fied to  by  his  son  some  ten  years  afterwards  ( A .  C .  9 ) . 

Of  Nephi's  private  life  and  circumstances  we  can 
learn  but  little  from  the  Book  of  Mormon.  It  is 
evident  that  his  public  labors  as  a  preacher  of 
righteousness  occupied  almost  his  entire  time. 
Two  of  his  sons,  Nephi  and  Timothy,  are  men- 
tioned by  name;  these  were  both  chosen  by  the 
crucified  Redeemer  to  be  members  of  the  Quorum 
of  the  Twelve  Disciples  who  ministered  among  the 
Nephites.  His  character  is  the  one  that  stands 
pre-eminent  in  his  age ;  he  was  of  a  verity  a  friend 
of  God,  who  so  acknowledged  him,  blessed  him 
with  as  high  and  glorious  privileges  as  are  ever 
conferred  on  man,  made  peculiar  and  special  cove- 
nants with  him,  and  gave  him  revelations  daily. 
His  whole  history  gives  evidence  of  his  faith, 
patience,  courage,  integrity,  humility  and  zeal,  In 
his  long  life  he  saw  much  sorrow,  but  God  took 
him  to  Himself  at  last. 

NEPHI,  THE  DISCIPLE.  Nephi,  like  his 
illustrious  father,  was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  age. 
Previous  to  the  visit  of  the  crucified  Redeemer  to 
the  Nephites,  he  was  their  high  priest  and  prophet. 
When  the  Messiah  came  to  them,  and  chose  twelve 
Disciples  to  be  special  ministers  of  His  name  and 
glory,  Nephi  was  the  first  that  He  called,  and  to 
him,  on  various  occasions,  the  Savior  immediately 
diredled  His  conversation  and  instrudlions. 

Shortly  before  the  birth  of  our  Savior,  Nephi 
received  the  sacred  plates  with  their  appendages 
from  his  father,  with  stricft  instrudlions  as  to  their 
care.  From  that  time  the  elder  Nephi  v^^as  no 
more j  seen  by  mortals,  and  his  son  took  his  place 
as  the  representative  of  Jehovah  to  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  western  world. 


Nephi,  the  Disciple.    288 

When  600  years  had  passed  since  Lehi  left 
Jerusalem,  the  wicked  and  perverse  raised  a  great 
outcry  that  the  prophecies  had  failed  and  the 
believers  were  deluded,  that  the  delusion  was  a 
danger  to  the  state,  and  those  who  adhered  to  it 
should  be  slain.  They  even  appointed  a  day  on 
which  to  carry  out  their  v*<anguinary  threats 
should  the  promised  signs  not  be  first  given. 
These  were  days  of  anxiety  and  dread  to  Nephi. 
For  consolation  he  sought  the  Lord  in  long  and 
fervent  prayers.  And  his  prayers  received  a  full 
and  joyous  answer.  The  word  of  the  Lord  came 
to  him  that  that  night  the  looked-for  sign  should 
be  given,  and  on  the  morrow  Jesus  would  come 
into  the  world.  And  so  it  came  to  pass.  The 
new  star  appeared  in  the  heavens,  there  were  two 
days  and  a  night  of  undiminished  light,  and  all 
the  people,  both  the  righteous  and  the  evildoers, 
recognized  the  sign  and  accepted  its  signification ; 
the  Lord  of  Life  and  Glory  was  clothed  with 
humanity. 

For  about  thirty  years  we  have  no  diredl 
statement  of  the  work  done  by  Nephi  as  a  minister 
of  God's  word.  Those  thirty  years  were  a  period 
marked  with  many  vicissitudes  in  the  national  and 
spiiitual  history  of  the  Nephites.  For  seventeen 
years  from  the  time  of  the  birth  of  our  Savior  they 
gradually  increased  in  wickedness ;  war  and  deso- 
lations afflidled  them  until,  in  their  extremity,  they 
were  brought  to  repentance.  But  their  repentance 
did  not  bring  immediate  deliverance  from  earthly 
troubles — the  Gadianton  robbers  held  the  upper 
hand,  and  it  was  not  until  A.  C.  21  that,  by  a  sig- 
nal victory,  they  freed  themselves  from  their  op- 
pressors and  invaders.  Then  followed  a  short 
period  of  peace  and  prosperity,  with  its  usual 
•  train  of  consequences — riches,  pride,  inequality, 
oppression  and  varied  iniquities,  and  year  by  year 
they  grew  worse,  until  A.  C.  29.  But  even  then 
they  had  not  descended  to  their  lowest ;  the  next 


289    Nephi,  the  Disciple. 

year  we  read  of  them  unjustl^^  and  unlawfully  con- 
demning to  death  the  prophets  who  were  sent  to 
them.  They  overrode  the  laws,  filled  the  country 
with  sedition,  and  sought  to  establish  a  mon- 
archy in  the  place  of  the  republic.  The  royalists, 
however,  did  not  effedl  their  purpose,  but  they 
succeeded  in  breaking  up  the  government.  The 
people  then  split  up  and  divided  into  numerous 
facftions,  each  governed  by  its  peculiar  laws  and 
regulations,  and  having  its  own  chief  (A.  C.  31). 

At  this  time  Nephi  is  again  brought  to  our 
notice.  He  comes  forth  as  a  servant  of  the  Most 
High  God,  administering  the  words  of  eternal  life 
with  such  power  and  great  authority'  that  none 
could  disbelieve  his  testimony,  for  angels  minis- 
tered to  him  daily.  His  cry  w^as  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  repentance  and  baptism  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  Many  w^ere  the  mighty  w^orks 
he  performed ;  he  cast  out  devils  and  unclean 
spirits  ;  he  healed  the  sick  and  even  raised  the  dead. 
But  the  wicked  were  a(?tually  angered  at  these 
manifestations  of  God's  goodness,  and  but  few 
were  converted.  Still,  Nephi  continued  his  labors, 
and  at  the  end  of  three  years  he  rejoiced  in  the 
re-establishment  of  the  Church  among  the  right- 
eous, the  organization  of  the  priesthood  and  the 
development  of  the  purposes  of  God.  For  all  this, 
the  greater  portion  of  the  people  continued  to 
delight  in  sin;  the  day  of  their  destru(?tion  had 
come. 

Thus  passed  away  thirty  and  three  years. 
The  time  had  now  come  for  the  fulfilment  of  the 
prophecy  of  Samuel,  the  Lamanite,  when  there 
should  be  darkness  over  the  face  of  the  land  for  the 
space  of  three  days.  On  the  fourth  day  of  the 
first  month  of  the  thirty-fourth  year,  a  great  and 
terrible  tempest  arose,  the  horrors  of  w^hich 
exceeded  all  others  since  the  deluge.  Huge  tidal 
waves  swept  the  coasts,  swift  cyclones  and  irre- 
sistible hurricanes  mowed  dow^n forest,  wilderness, 


Nephi,  the  Disciple.    290 

city  and  tower,  leaving  blank  desolation  in  their 
train;  the  earth  trembled  to  its  foundations, 
belched  forth  fire,  uprose  in  giant  peaks  or  sank  in 
deep  abysses.  The  whole  face  of  the  land  was 
changed  by  these  indescribable  commotions. 
Some  cities  were  burned,  some  sank  in  the  depths 
of  the  sea ;  some  were  entombed  in  the  earth,  while 
mountains  covered  the  place  where  others  had 
before  stood.  It  is  not  our  intention  here  to  detail 
the  horrors  of  the  three  days  of  mental  and  physi- 
cal darkness  that  followed  the  hurricane  and  the 
earthquake,  nor  to  dilate  upon  the  great  and 
terrible  mourning  of  the  people  for  their  kindred 
slain,  their  cities  destroyed  and  their  treasures 
lost.  The  mental  horror  of  those  black  days  was 
intensified  by  the  fear  that  they  had  sinned  away 
their  day  of  grace,  as  they  realized  the  tens  of 
thousands  of  the  dead  had  done.  Then  was  heard 
a  voice  from  heaven,  cr^dng,  *'Wo,  wo,  v^^o  unto 
this  people,  except  they  shall  repent."  That  voice 
was  the  voice  of  the  Redeemer,  and  He  recounted 
to  them  the  destrudlions,  the  tribulations,  the 
sorrow  that  had  come  upon  them  because  of  their 
abominations,  but  added  the  pleasing  news  that 
they  who  survived  had  been  spared  because  they 
were  more  righteous  than  those  who  had  fallen 
vidlims  to  the  fury  of  the  storm.  He  bore  record 
of  Himself,  of  His  sufferings  and  death — that  He 
had  given  His  life  as  a  ransom  for  the  sins  of  the 
w^orld  —  and  many  words  of  counsel  and  instruc- 
tion He  added  to  His  testimony  for  their  future 
guidance.  When  the  voice  ceased,  there  v^as  silence 
throughout  the  land  for  the  space  of  many  hours. 
Afterwards  the  voice  of  the  Savior  was  again 
heard,  repeating  to  the  humbled  Nephites  how 
often  He  would  have  gathered  and  spared  His 
people  Israel,  but  they  would  not.  Thus  did  the 
three  days  of  terror  pass  away.  At  its  close  the 
darkness  dispersed  and  the  wailing  of  the  people 
stopped,  for  their  mourning  was  turned  into  praise 


291    Nephi,  the  Disciple. 

and  thankfulness  unto  the  Lord  Jesus,  their 
Redeemer. 

The  horrors  of  the  desolation  past  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  most  glorious  age  in  Nephite  his- 
tory. The  extreme  of  misery  was  followed  by  a 
fulness  of  joy.  The  crucified  Redeemer  himself 
appeared  and  ministered  among  the  people ;  with 
His  own  voice  he  explained  the  beauties  and  har- 
monies of  salvation's  w^ondrousplan.  The  simple, 
heart-reaching  truths  of  the  everlasting  Gospel  He 
repeated  in  the  same  plain  and  gentle  terms  in 
which  He  had  taught  His  disciples  at  Jerusalem, 
and  even  greater  truths  did  He  announce  and 
greater  works  perform,  because  of  the  more 
abundant  faith  of  the  Nephites.  He  also  or- 
ganized His  Church  in  their  midst,  and  called 
twelve  Disciples,  who  became  His  special  rep- 
resentatives and  the  presiding  authorities  of 
His  Church.  These  are  to  sit  in  the  great  day 
of  judgment  as  the  judges  of  the  seed  of 
Nephi,  and  be  themselves  judged  by  the  Twelve 
Apostles  whom  He  had  called  from  among  the 
Jews. 

First  of  these  Nephite  Twelve  stood  Nephi, 
who,  by  virtue  of  his  seniority,  his  previous  posi- 
tion, or  his  goodness,  or,  perhaps,  all  combined, 
was  recognized  by  the  Savior  on  various  occasions 
as  the  foremost  of  his  race.  Nephi,  at  this  time, 
was  most  probably  advanced  beyond  the  middle 
age  of  man,  as  he  had  held  the  records  more  than 
thirty-three  years  after  his  father's  departure  from 
this  earth,  and  as  that  event  occurred  when  the 
elder  Nephi  was  quite  aged,  and  Nephi  was  his 
eldest  son,  it  is  presumable  that,  if  he  were  one  of 
those  who  died  w^hen  he  was  seventy-two  years 
old,  his  day  on  the  earth  was  not  a  long  one  after 
the  departure  of  his  Divine  Master. 

Though  Nephi  had  himself  been  baptized,  and 
had  in  times  past  baptized  many,  yet  a  new  dis- 
pensation being  now  opened,  Jesus  commanded 


Nephi.  292 

the  Twelve  whom  he  had  chosen  to  baptize  all  the 
people;  He  afterwards  gave  them  power  and  au- 
thority to  confer  the  Holy  Ghost  Nephi  was  the 
first  who  was  baptized  among  all  the  people ;  he 
then  baptized  the  remaining  eleven  of  his  Quorum, 
which,  having  been  done,  they  were  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire;  indeed  the3^  were  en- 
circled around  with  fire  which  came  down  from 
heaven,  while  holy  angels  ministered  to  them  the 
unspeakable  things  of  the  kingdom. 

After  the  final  departure  of  the  Savior,  we 
are  told  but  little  of  Nephi's  personal  life.  His 
son,  Nephi,  appears  to  have  taken  charge  of  the 
records  almost  immediately  after  these  events, 
while  another  son,  Jonas,  was  a  member  of  the 
Quorum  of  the  Twelve. 

KEPHI,  THE  SON  OF  NEPHI,  jTHE 
DISCIPLE.  This  holy  man  appears  to  have 
arrived  at  the  age  of  manhood  when  the  Messiah 
visited  the  Nephites,  as  (if  we  get  a  right  under- 
standing of  the  sacred  records, )  the  plates,  with 
the  other  holy  things,  were  taken  charge  of  by 
him  very  shortly  after  that  glorious  appearing.  It 
is  presumable  he  was  then  a  young  man,  as  he  re- 
tained them  seventy-six  years,  or  until  A.  C.  110, 
when  his  son  Amos  received  them.  His  duty,  as 
the  recorder  of  the  doings  of  his  people,  was  a 
most  happy  one ;  he  had  nothing  but  good  to 
relate  of  their  lives  and  adlions,  and  to  record 
that  perfe(5l  peace  prevailed  on  all  the  vast  con- 
tinent. The  Nephites  increased  in  numbers  (and 
Lamanites  there  were  none),  they  prospered  in 
circumstances,  they  grew  in  material  v^ealth,all  of 
which  was  held  in  common,  according  to  the  order 
of  God ;  the\'  colonized  and  spread  far  abroad ; 
they  rebuilt  their  ancient  capital  and  many  other 
cities,  and  founded  many  new  ones ;  but,  above  all, 
they  were  rich  in  heavenly  treasures,  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God  reigned  in  every  heart,  and  illumined 
every  soul.    It  was  a  foretaste  of  the  Millennium 


Nephi,  City  of.  293  Nephi,  Land  of. 

to  the  whole  people  of  half  the  world,  and  when 
Nephi  died  (A.  C.  110)  this  inexpressibly  happy, 
heavenly  state  still  continued  in  undiminished 
warmth  of  Divine  and  brotherly  love  and  strength 
of  abiding  faith.  All  the  generation  to  w^hich 
Nephi  belonged  entered  in  at  the  straight  gate, 
and  walked  the  narrow  way  to  the  Eternal  City  of 
God,  not  one  of  them  was  lost. 

NEPHI,  CITY  OF.  The  name  frequently 
given  to  the  city  of  Lehi-Nephi. 

NEPHI,  LAND  OF.  From  the  days  of  the 
first  Mosiah  to  the  era  of  Christ's  advent,  South 
America  was  divided  into  two  grand  divisions. 
These  were  the  land  of  Zarahemla  and  the  land  of 
Nephi.  During  this  period,  except  in  times  of  war, 
the  Lamanites  occupied  the  land  of  Nephi,  and  the 
Nephites  inhabited  the  land  of  Zarahemla.  That 
these  two  lands  occupied  the  whole  of  the  south- 
ern continent  is  shown  by  the  statement  of  the 
sacred  writer:  '*Thus  the  land  of  Nephi,  and  the 
land  of  Zarahemla,  were  nearlj^  surrounded  by 
water;  there  being  a  small  neck  of  land  be- 
tween the  land  northward  and  the  land  south- 
ward." The  width  of  this  narrow  neck  of  land  is 
in  one  place  said  to  have  been  the  distance  of  a 
day  and  a  half  s  journey  for  a  Nephite.  In  another 
place  it  is  called  a  day's  journey.  Perhaps  the 
places  spoken  of  are  not  identical,  one  may  have 
been  slightly  to  the  north  of  the  other,  along  the 
line  of  the  isthmus. 

Both  the  lands  of  Nephi  and  Zarahemla  were 
subdivided,  for  governmental  purposes,  into 
smaller  lands,  states  or  districts.  Among  the 
Nephites,  these  lands,  in  the  days  of  the  republic. 
were  ruled  by  local  chief  judges,  subjedl  to  the 
chief  judge  of  the  whole  nation ;  and  among  the 
Lamanites  by  kings,  who  were  tributary  to  the 
head  king,  w^hose  seat  of  government  was  at  the 
city  of  Lehi-Nephi. 

The  land  of  Nephi  covered  a  much  larger  area 


Nephi,  Land  of.  294 

of  country  than  did  the  land  of  Zarahemla.  The 
two  countries  were  separated  by  the  wilderness 
which  extended  entirely  across  the  continent  from 
the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Pacific. 
The  northern  edge  of  this  wilderness  ran  in  a  line 
almost  due  east  and  west,  and  passed  near  the 
head  of  the  river  Sidon.  All  north  of  this  belt  of 
wilderness  was  considered  the  land  of  Zarahemla ; 
all  south  of  it  was  included  in  the  land  of  Nephi. 

The  exacft  place  where  Lehi  and  his  little 
colony  first  landed  on  that  continent  is  not  stated 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon;  but  it  is  generally 
believed  among  the  Latter-day  Saints,  from  a 
statement  made  by  the  Prophet  Joseph,  to  be 
on  the  coast  of  Chili,  in  thirty  degrees  south 
latitude. 

In  the  region  where  Lehi  landed,  there  he  also 
died.  Soon  after  his  death,  Nephi,  and  those  of 
the  colony  w^ho  wished  to  serve  the  Lord,  mi- 
grated, by  the  command  of  God,  to  another 
country.  The  reason  for  this  command  was  the 
murderous  hatred  shown  by  Laman  and  Lemuel 
towards  Nephi  and  his  friends.  Nephi  and  his 
company  journeyed  in  the  wilderness.  By  the  ex- 
pression "the  wilderness,"  we  understand  the 
inspired  writer  to  mean  the  uncultivated  and  un- 
inhabited portions  of  the  land.  The  journey  of 
the  Nephites  was  northward,  as  is  shown  by  their 
later  history ;  but  Nephi,  in  his  very  brief  account 
of  this  migration,  says  nothing  v^ith  regard  to  the 
direAion  in  which  they  traveled.  At  the  end  of 
many  days  a  land  was  found  which  was  deemed 
suitable  for  settlement.  There  the  company 
pitched  their  tents,  and  commenced  the  tilling  of 
the  soil.  In  honor  of  their  leader,  it  was  called 
the  land  of  Nephi. 

No  doubt  the  choice  of  location  was  made  by 
Divine  inspiration.  It  was  a  highly  favored  land, 
rich  in  mineral  and  vegetable  producftions,  and 
yielded    abundant    crops    to    the    labors  of  the 


295  Nephi,  Land  of. 

husbandmen.  It  appears  to  have  been  near  some 
great  waters,  the  Pacific  Ocean  or  an  inland  sea, 
for  Jacob,  Nephi's  brother,  in  speaking  of  the  po- 
tency of  the  faith  of  his  people,  says,  *'  We  truly  can 
command  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  the  very  trees 
obey  us,  or  the  mountains,  or  the  waves  of  the 
sea.''  In  this  happy  country  the  Nephites  dwelt, 
prospered  and  increased  until  they  again  moved 
northward.  Perhaps  not  once,  nor  twice,  they 
migrated,  but  several  times ;  for  we  hold  it  to  be 
inconsistent  with  the  stor}^  of  the  record  and  with 
good  judgment  to  believe  that  in  their  first  journey 
they  traveled  as  far  north  as  they  were  found  four 
hundred  years  afterwards,  w^hen  they  again  took 
up  their  line  of  march,  and  finally  settled  in  the 
land  of  Zarahemla.  In  the  first  place,  there  was  no 
necessity  for  Nephi  and  his  people  taking  such  a 
lengthy,  tedious  and  hazardous  journey ;  in  the 
second  place,  in  their  weak  condition,  it  was  nigh 
unto  an  impossibility;  again,  in  a  few  years  the 
Lamanites  had  followed  and  overtaken  them. 
It  is  altogether  inconsistent  to  think  that  that 
people,  with  its  racial  charadleri sties,  could  in  so 
short  a  time  have  accomplished  so  marvelous  a 
triumph  as  to  follow,  hunt  up  and  attack  their 
late  brethren,  if  the  latter  had  placed  all  the  dis- 
tance from  Chili  to  Ecuador  between  themselves 
and  their  pursuers.  When  we  consider  the  difficul- 
ties of  travel  through  the  trackless  wilderness,  the 
obstacles  interposed  by  nature,  the  lack  of  all  roads 
or  other  guides  to  indicate  where  the  Nephites  had 
gone,  it  seems  out  of  the  question  to  imagine  that 
in  twenty  years  or  so,  the  shiftless,  unenterprising 
Lamanites  had  accomplished  such  a  feat.  To  the 
contrary,  we  believe  that  Nephi  and  those  with 
him  traveled  until  they  considered  themselves  safe, 
then  settled  down  in  a  spot  which  the\'  deemed 
desirable.  By  and  by  the  Lamanites  came  upon 
them ;  the  Nephites  defended  themselves  as  long 
as  they   could,   and   when    they  could   do  so   no 


Nephi,  Land  of.  296 

longer  they  again  moved  to  the  northward.  Their 
early  history  was  one  of  frequent  wars ;  and  as 
the  Lord  used  the  Lamanites  as  thorns  in  their 
sides  when  they  turned  from  Him,  we  judge  for  this 
reason,  and  that  the3^  were  found  so  far  north  in 
the  days  of  Amaleki  and  Mosiah,  that  the  savage 
descendants  of  Laman  had  frequently  defeated 
them  and  driven  them  farther  and  farther  away 
from  the  land  of  their  first  possession. 

The  inquiry  will  naturally  arise,  as  a  result  of 
these  suggestions :  In  what  portion  of  the  South 
American  continent  lay  the  home  of  the  Nephites 
in  the  days  of  Mosiah  ?  This  cannot  be  answered 
authoritatively.  We  are  nowhere  told  its  exacft 
situation.  Still,  there  are  many  references  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  from  which  we  can  judge,  to 
some  extent,  of  its  location.  Apostle  Orson  Pratt 
suggested  that  it  was  in  the  country  we  now  call 
Ecuador. 

We  believe  that  the  lands  occupied  by  the 
Nephites  before  they  went  down  into  the  land  of 
Zarahemla  were  situated  among  the  table-lands  or 
high  valleys  of  the  Andes,  much  as  Utah  is  located 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  parallel 
chains.    For  these  reasons : 

First — They  were  lands  rich  in  minerals,  which 
all  through  the  American  continents  are  found 
most  abundantly  in  mountainous  regions. 

Secondly,  the  climate  of  the  torrid  low  lands, 
almost  dire<5lly  under  the  equator,  would  be  intol- 
erable for  its  heat,  and  deadly  in  its  humidity; 
while  the  country  in  the  high  valleys  and  table- 
lands would  be  excellently  adapted  to  human  life, 
especially  (we  may  presume)  before  the  great  up- 
heavals and  convulsions  that  marked  the  death 
of  the  Redeemer. 

It  is  also  probable  that  in  their  journeys  the 
Nephites  would  follow  the  most  available  route, 
rather  than  plunge  into  the  dense,  untrodden, 
primeval  forests  of  the  wilderness ;  the  home  of 


297  Nephi,  Land  of. 

all  manner  of  savage  animals,  venomous  snakes 
and  poisonous  reptiles ,  where  a  road  would  have 
to  be  cut  every  foot  of  the  way  through  the 
most  luxuriant  and  gigantic  tropical  vegetation 
to  be  found  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  Therefore 
we  regard  its  accessibility  as  another  reason  for 
believing  that  the  Nephites  did  not  leave  the  great 
backbone  of  the  continent  to  descend  into  the 
unexplored  depths  of  the  region  whose  charadler 
they  aptly  sum  up  in  the  one  word,  wilderness. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  there  were  two 
lands  called  by  the  name  of  Nephi.  The  one  was 
a  limited  distridl  immediately  surrounding  the  city 
of  Lehi-Nephi  or  Nephi.  There  Mosiah  and  the 
Nephites  dwelt,  about  two  hundred  years  before 
Christ.  The  other  land  of  Nephi  occupied  the 
whole  of  the  continent  south  of  the  great  wilder- 
ness. This  wilderness  formed  its  northern  boun- 
dary, and  its  frontier  thereon  ran  in  a  straight 
course  from  the  east  to  the  west  sea,  or,  to  use 
our  modern  geographical  names,  in  a  straight 
line  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

As  this  wilderness,  though  of  great  length 
east  and  west,  was  but  a  narrow  strip  north 
and  south,  and  its  northern  edge  ran  close  to 
the  head  waters  of  the  River  Sidon  (or  Magda- 
lena),  it  is  evident  that  the  land  of  Nephi  cover- 
ed by  far  the  greater  portion  of  South  America. 
Within  its  wide  boundaries  was  situated  the  orig- 
inal land  of  Nephi,  as  well  as  many  other  lands 
called   by   various  local  names. 

It  is  very  obvious  how  there  grev^  to  be  these 
two  lands  of  Nephi.  At  first,  the  small  distridl 
around  the  capital  city  comprised  all  the  territory 
occupied  by  the  Nephites.  As  they  spread  out, 
whatever  valley,  plain,  etc.,  they  reclaimed  from 
the  wilderness  was  considered  a  part  of  that 
land ;  and  thus,  year  by  year,  its  borders  grew 
wider  and  wider,  while  for  convenience  sake  or 
govermental  purposes,   the  newly  built  cities  and 


Nephi,  Land  of.  298 

the  land  surrounding  were  called  by  varied  names, 
according  to  the  wishes  of  the  people,  most 
frequently  after  the  leader  of  the  out-going  colonj^ 
or  founder  of  the  city.  To  distinguish  the  smaller 
land  of  Nephi  from  the  whole  country,  it  is  some- 
times called  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi. 

We  have  stated  that  the  small  land  of  Nephi 
was  a  very  limited  distridl.  We  think  this  is 
easily  proven.  It  was  so  limited  in  extent  that 
we  are  told  king  Noah  built  a  tower  near  the 
temple  so  high  that  he  could  stand  upon  the  top 
thereof  and  overlook  not  only  the  land  of  Lehi- 
Nephi  where  it  was  built,  but  also  the  land  of 
Shilom  and  the  land  of  Shemlon,  which  last 
named  land  was  possessed  by  the  Lamanites.  No 
matter  how  high  the  tower,  the  land  of  Lehi- 
Nephi  must  have  been  comparatively  small  to  have 
enabled  a  man  to  overlook  all  three  lands  from 
the   top   of  one  building. 

It  w^as  on  the  borders  of  this  land,  in  the 
forest  of  Mormon,  that  Alma  used  to  hide  him- 
self It  was  there  he  gathered  the  believers  in 
his  teachmgs,  baptized  them  in  the  waters  of  Mor- 
mon, and  organized  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 
From  the  waters  of  Mormon  to  Zarahemla  it 
w^as  twenty-two  days'  acftual  travel  for  an  emi- 
grant train. 

Alma  having  been  warned  of  the  Lord  fltd 
with  his  people  into  the  wilderness  which  div- 
ided the  lands  of  Nephi  and  Zarahemla.  They 
journeyed  for  eight  days  when  they  rested  and 
commenced  to  build  a  city,  which  they  called 
Helam.  Being  afterwards  compelled  to  leave  this 
city,  on  account  of  the  persecutions  of  the  La- 
manites and  Amulonites,  they  again  took  their 
journey  northward,  and  reached  the  homes  of  the 
main  body  of  the  Nephites  in  Zarahemla  in  about 
fourteen  days. 

Here  we  have  a  people  encumbered  and  de- 
layed by  flocks  and  herds,heavily  laden  with  grain. 


299  Nephi,  Land  of. 

etc.,  making  the  journey,  in  two  separate  stages 
in  twenty -two  da^^s.  It  is  scarcely  supposable 
that  they  traveled  in  a  diredl  line;  mountains, 
rivers  and  swamps  would  render  the  journey  some- 
what circuitous  or  winding.  But  even  supposing 
that  they  did  advance  in  an  almost  diredl  line 
from  point  to  point,  it  would  only  make  the 
distance  between  Nephi  and  Zarahemla  220  miles, 
if  they  traveled  ten  miles  a  day;  330,  if  they 
traveled  fifteen  miles ;  and  440  if  they  journeyed 
twenty  miles  a  day. 

Zarahemla  was  situated  on  the  Sidon,  certain- 
ly a  considerable  distance  from  its  head  waters, 
as  other  lands  and  cities  such  as  Minon  and 
Manti  are  mentioned  as  lying  far  above  it.  If 
we  measure  the  distance  from  such  a  point  south- 
ward, either  200,  300  or  400  miles,  all  these 
measurements  will  bring  us  into  the  country  now 
called  Ecuador. 

We  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  land  of  Lehi- 
Nephi  was  situated  in  one  of  the  higher  valleys, 
or  extensive  plateaus  of  the  Andes.  In  the  first 
place,  admitting  it  was  in  Ecuador,  it  would  lie 
almost  immediately  under  the  equator,  and  the 
lowlands  would  be  unbearable  for  an  industri- 
ous population  on  account  of  the  great  heat ;  as 
well  as  exceedingly  unhealthy. 

Again,  the  crops  which  the  Nephites  raised 
most  abundantly — barley  and  wheat — are  not  those 
that  flourish  in  a  tropical  climate,  but  can  be 
grown  most  advantageously  in  a  temperate  region. 

It  was  also  a  land  rich  in  mineral  wealth, 
which  is  not  probable  would  have  been  the  case 
if  it  had  been  situated  among  the  wide-spreading 
alluvial  plains  east  of  the  Andes. 

It  is  likewise  spoken  of  as  a  hilly  or  mount- 
ainous country.'  The  hill  north  of  the  land  of 
Shilom  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the  historical 
narrative. 

For  another  reason,  the  expresvsion   "up"  is 


Nephi,  Land  of.  300 

almost  always  used  when  reference  is  made  to 
persons  going  towards  the  land  of  Nephi.  Not 
on  13^  did  they  travel  from  Zarahemla  up  the  Sid  on 
and  across  the  wilderness  to  Nephi,  but  also  up 
from  the  land  of  Ishmael  and  other  portions  of 
the  land  of  Nephi  to  the  city  of  Nephi  and  its 
surroundings.  In  contradistinction  to  this,  per- 
sons leaving  Nephi  went  down  to  the  land  of 
Zarahemla  and  other  places. 

The  only  time  in  which  the  word  down  is 
used,  when  referring  to  parties  going  towards 
Nephi,  is  when  certain  persons  came  down  to  the 
city  from  off  the  hill  mentioned  above. 

In  the  secon.d  generation  the  Nephites  began 
to  grow  numerous,  and  iniquity  made  its  appear- 
ance among  them.  It  was  then  that  Jacob,  their 
priest,  prophesied:  The  time  speedily  cometh,  that 
except  ye  repent,  they  [the  Lamanites]  shall  pos- 
sess the  land  of  your  inheritance,  and  the  Lord 
God  will  lead  away  the  righteous  out  from  among 
you.  This  prophecy  w^as  completely  fulfilled,  if 
not  on  previous  occasions,  about  300  years  or 
so  afterwards,  when  Mosiah,  by  the  command 
of  God,  led  the  righteous  Nephites  out  of  the  land 
of  their  inheritance — the  land  of  Nephi — down  into 
the  land  of  Zarahemla. 

From  that  time  the  land  of  Nephi  was  pos- 
sessed and  ruled  by  the  posterity  of  Laman,  Lem- 
uel and  Ishmael;  or  by  Nephite  apostates,  who, 
with  superior  cunning,  worked  themselves  on  to 
the  Lamanite  throne. 

During  the  era  that  the  Nephites  dwelt  in  the 
land  of  Nephi  they  built  several  cities.  These  the 
Lamanites  eagerly  took  possession  of  when  Mo- 
siah and  his  people  vacated  them.  Reference  to 
them  is  found  in  the  record  of  Zcnif^s  return  from 
Zarahemla,  and  reoccupancy,  by  treaty  with  the 
Lamanites,  of  a  portion  of  the  old  Nephite  home, 
known  as  Lehi-Nephi  and   Shilom. 

Our  next  information  regarding  the  condition 


301  Nephihah. 

of  the  land  of  Nephi  is  gleaned  from  the  history 
of  the  mission  of  the  sons  of  king  Mosiah  to  the 
Lamanites  in  that  region.  This  mission  began 
B.  C.  91,  and  lasted  fourteen  years.  The  coun- 
try was  then  divided  into  several  distindl  king- 
doms, each  ruled  by  its  own  king,  but  all  sub- 
jedl  to  the  head  monarch,  whose  court  was  at 
Nephi.  The  lands  specially  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  this  mission  are  those  of  Nephi,  Mid- 
doni,  Ishmael,  Shilom,  Shemlon,  Helam,  Amulon 
and  Jerusalem, 

NEPHIHAH.  The  second  chief  judge  of  the 
Nephite  republic.  Of  his  birth  and  early  life  nothing 
is  said,  but  at  the  time  of  his  elevation  to  the 
chief  judgeship  he  is  called  ''a  wise  man  who  was 
among  the  elders  of  the  church."  It  appears  that 
when  Alma  found  the  combined  duties  of  chief 
judge  and  president  of  the  church  too  excessive 
for  one  man  to  properlj^  perform,  he  seledled 
Nephihah  as  his  successor  in  the  first  named 
office  (B.  C.  83)  and  that  this  seledlion  was  rati- 
fied by  the  voice  of  the  people.  The  principal 
events  that  occurred  among  the  Nephites  during 
Nephihah's  judgeship  were: 

The  destru&on  of  Ammonihah  by  the  Lama- 
nites  (B.  C.  81). 

The  Ammonites  established  in  Jershon ( B . C . 77 ) . 

The  defedlion  of  the  Zoramites  and  the  inva- 
sion of  the  Lamanites  under  Zarahemnah  (B.C. 74). 

The  rebellion  under  Amalickiah  and  the  La- 
manite  attack  on  Ammonihah  andNoah  (B.C.73). 

Contention  between  the  people  of  Lehi  and 
Morianton   (B.   C.   68). 

The  years  that  Nephihah  judged  the  Nephites 
w^ere  of  great  material  progress.  Many  new  cities 
were  founded,  and  a  wide  stretch  of  country 
reclaimed  from  the  wilderness.  He  passed  away 
to  the  realms  of  the  blest  in  B.  C.  68,  having, 
according  to  the  sacred  historian,  ''filled  the  judg- 
ment seat  with  perfecft  uprightness  before  God." 


Nephihah,  City  of.      302  Nephites,  the. 

Alma  had  such  great  confidence  in  him  that  he  de- 
sired to  intrust  him  with  the  sacred  records.  This 
honor  and  responsibility  Nephihah  declined,  and 
Alma  conferred  these  treasures  upon  his  son  Hela- 
man.  Nephihah  was  succeeded  in  the  judgment 
seat  by  his  son  Pahoran. 

NEPHIHAH,  CITY  OF.  We  fancy  there 
were  two  cities  of  this  name;  one  situated  on 
the  southern  frontier,  some  distance  east  of  Manti 
and  the  Sidon  (Alma,  56:  25);  the  other  on  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  north  of  Moroni  (Alma,  50: 
14).  Of  this  latter  city  it  is  written  that  in  the 
year  B.  C.  72  the  Nephites  began  a  foundation 
for  a  city  between  the  city  of  Moroni  and  the  city 
of  Aaron,  joining  the  city  of  Aaron  and  Moroni ; 
and  they  called  the  name  of  the  city  or  land,  Ne- 
phihah. This  is  the  region  again  referred  to  in 
chapters  51,  59  and  62  of  the  Book  of  Alma.  It 
was  captured  by  the  Lamanites  B.  C.  67  and  re- 
tained by  them  until  B.  C.  61,  when  Moroni 
retook  it  by  a  night  surprise.  Elder  Orson  Pratt, 
in  a  footnote  to  chapter  56,  draws  attention  to 
the  fadl  that  the  Nephihah  there  mentioned  is  not 
the  one  spoken  of  in  the  other  chapters. 

NEPHIHAH,  PLAINS  OF.  Plains  near 
that  city  of  Nephihah  mentioned  in  Alma,  ch.  62, 
Here  Moroni  desired  the  Lamanites  to  meet  him  in 
battle,  but  they,  knowing  the  great  courage  of  the 
Nephites  and  the  greatness  of  their  numbers,  kept 
wnthin  the  walls  of  the  city. 

NEPHIHAH,  LAND  OF.  The  region  on 
the  Atlantic  seaboard  immediately  surrounding 
the  city  of  the  same  name.  It  appears  to  have 
been  bounded  by  the  land  of  Moroni  on  the  south, 
while  that  of  Aaron  was  contiguous  in  another 
quarter  (probably  north). 

NEPHITES,  THE.  A  people  descended  from 
Manasseh,  the  son  of  Joseph,  named  after  Nephi, 
the  fourth  son  of  Lehi,  who,  in  connedlion  with 
the  Lamanites,  occupied  the  American  continent 


Nuem.  303      Nimrod,  Valley  of. 

from  about  B,  C,  590  to  A.  C.  385,  when  they  were 
destro3'ed  by  the  latter  race.  Originally  they  were 
the  descendants  of  Nephi,  Saw,  Jacob,  Joseph,  and 
Zoram,  but  in  later  ages  the  distindlion  was  one  of 
religion  and  government  more  than  of  pedigree; 
hosts  of  the  two  peoples  having,  at  different  times, 
seceded  from  their  own  races  and  fused  and  inter- 
mixed with  the  other. 

NUEM.  A  Hebrew  prophet,  quoted  byNephi 
(I  Nephi,  19  :  10).  He  prophesied  that  the  Son  of 
God  should  be  crucified. 

NIMRAH.  A  Jaredite,  the  son  of  Akish. 
Out  of  jealousy  Akish  had  starved  to  death  one  of 
his  sons,  a  brother  of  Nimrah,  and  the  latter  being 
angry  with  his  father,  gathered  a  small  number  of 
men  and  fled  to  the  exiled  king,  Onier,  who  had  es- 
tablished himself  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  probably 
in  the  region  we  call  New  England.  What  after- 
wards became  of  Nimrah  we  are  not  told.  (  Ether, 
9:8,9.) 

NIMROD.  An  early  Jaredite  prince,  the  son 
of  Cohor.  In  his  days  the  kingdom  was  a  divided 
one,  Shule  reigning  over  one  portion  and  Cohor 
over  the  other.  Cohor,  desiring  to  obtain  un- 
divided dominion,  gave  battle  to  Shule,  was 
defeated  and  slain.  Nimrod,  recognizing  the 
superior  rights  of  Shule  surrendered  the  region  his 
father  had  ruled  over  to  that  monarch.  For  this 
adl  and  for  his  faithful  allegiance,  Nimrod  found 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  Shule,  and  he  had  authority 
given  him  to  do  "according  to  his  desires"  in  the 
latter's  kingdom.  (Ether,  7:  22.) 

NIMROD,  VALLEY  OF.  A  valley  in  Mes- 
opotamia, or  in  the  adjacent  regions,  called  after 
the  mighty  hunter  who  founded  the  Babylonian 
empire.  There  the  Jaredites  assembled  and  organ- 
ized for  their  journey.  In  this  valley,  also,  the 
Lord  talked  with  the  brother  of  fared,  and  com- 
manded that  the  company  should  go  forth  into 
that  region  where  man  had  never  yet  been  ;  but  the 


Noah  304 

brother  of  Jared  did  not  at  that  time  see  the 
Lord,  for  He  was  hidden  from  him  in  a  clotid. 
(Ether,  2.) 

NOAH.  The  son  of  Zenift  and  second  king 
over  the  Nephite  colony  which  returned  from 
Zarahemla  to  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi.  Unlike  his 
father,  he  was  not  a  righteous  man,  but  gave 
way  to  drunkenness  and  harlotry,  and,  as  is  often 
the  case  with  monarchs  of  his  disposition,  griev- 
ously oppressed  his  people.  He  surrounded  him- 
self with  creatures  after  his  own  heart,  and  placed 
the  holy  priesthood  in  the  hands  of  men  who 
were  as  corrupt  as  himself  He  greatly  beautified 
the  temple  in  the  city  of  Lehi-Nephi,  which  he  be- 
fouled with  his  debaucheries;  while  the  cost  of 
the  rich  adornment  with  v^hich  he  lavishly  orna- 
mented it  was  wrung  from  his  unwilling  subjedls 
in  a  tax  of  one-fifth  of  all  they  possessed.  Not 
only  did  he  greatly  beautify  the  temple,  but  he 
built  himself  a  magnificent  palace,  and  erecfted 
many  other  costly  buildings  in  the  city  of  Lehi- 
Nephi,  and  in  the  neighboring  valley  of  Shilom. 
He  also  built  two  very  high  watch  towers,  one  of 
which  stood  near  the  temple,  and  the  other  on  the 
hill  to  the  north  of  the  land  of  Shilom.  Later,  he 
planted  many  vineyards  and  made  an  abundance 
of  wine,  which  resulted  in  him  and  his  people 
becoming  drunkards. 

Noah  had  not  been  long  on  the  throne  before 
small  marauding  bands  of  Lamanites  began  to 
harass  the  Nephites  and  drive  off  their  flocks.  The 
king  set  guards  around  his  possessions  to  keep  the 
Lamanites  off,  but  he  did  not  post  them  in  suffi- 
cient numbers,  and  they  were  slain  or  driven 
away.  He  finally  sent  his  armies  and  drove  the 
Lamanites  back.  This  vidlory  made  him  and  his 
people  conceited  and  boastful,  and  developed  a  de- 
light in  them  to  shed  the  blood  of  the  Lamanites. 

At  this  time,  (about  B.  C.  150,)  a  prophet, 
named  Abinadi,  appeared  among  them,  and  pre- 


305  Noah. 

didted  that  they  would  be  brought  into  bondage 
to  their  enemies  unless  they  repented  of  their 
wickedness.  The  king  and  the  people  were  very 
angry  with  Abinadi.  and  sought  to  take  his  life. 
Two  years  after  he  came  among  them  in  disguise. 
This  time  he  uttered,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  very 
terrible  prophecies  against  Noah  and  his  people^ 
all  of  which  were  fulfilled  in  a  verj^  few  3'ears.  But 
the  people  would  not  heed  Abinadi,  and  the  more 
he  exposed  their  iniquities  the  more  furious  raged 
their  anger  against  him.  They  finally  took  him» 
bound  him,  and  hurried  him,  with  railing  accusa- 
tions, before  the  king.  There  the  priests  began  to 
cross-question  him,  that  they  might  confuse  him 
and  cause  him  to  say  something  that  would  give 
them  a  pretext  for  sla^'ing  him.  This  condu(?t 
gave  Abinadi  the  chance  in  turn  to  question  his 
accusers,  by  which  he  exposed  their  deceit  and 
iniquity ;  and  it  also  enabled  him  to  explain  many 
of  the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  life  and  salvation. 
His  teachings  were,  however,  exacftly  what  Noah's 
infidel  priests  did  not  want.  They  charged  Abin- 
adi with  having  reviled  the  king,  and  on  this 
charge  obtained  Noah's  consent  for  his  execution. 
And,  finally,  Abinadi  was  cruelly  tortured  and 
burned  to  death  by  his  fellov^  citizens  in  the  sin- 
stained  city  of  Lehi-Nephi. 

Abinadi's  cruel  death  was,  in  the  providences 
of  the  Lord,  made  the  means  of  establishing  the 
church  of  Christ  among  Noah's  subjedls.  One  of 
the  young  priests,  named  Alma,  was  converted  by 
the  prophet's  teachings ;  he  wrote  them  down  and 
taught  them  to  others.  A  church  was  organized 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  cit\^,  but,  in  a  little  while, 
the  movement  reached  the  ears  of  the  king,  and 
he  sent  his  soldiers  to  capture  the  believers.  Being 
warned  of  the  Lord,  the  latter  fled  and  escaped 
their  pursuers. 

Soon  after  the  return  of  Noah's  army  from 
their  unsuccessful  attempt  to  capture  Alma  and 


Noah.  306 

his  people,  a  great  division  grew  up  among  that 
monarch's  subjedls.  They  were  heartily  tired  of 
his  tyranny  and  his  debaucheries.  One  of  those 
most  dissatisfied  was  an  officer  of  the  king's  army 
named  Gideon,  In  the  disturbances  that  now 
arose  between  Noah  and  his  people,  Gideon  sought 
to  slay  the  king.  But  Noah  fled  to  the  tower  near 
the  temple.  From  its  top  he  beheld  an  advancing 
host  of  the  Lamanites.  Pleading  with  Gideon  for 
his  life,  he  ordered  his  people  to  flee.  They  did  so, 
but  being  encumbered  with  their  families,  the 
Lamanites  soon  overtook  them  and  began  to  slay 
them.  The  craven-hearted  king  then  commanded 
his  men  to  leave  the  women  and  children  to  the 
mercy  of  their  savage  foes  and  flee  into  the  wilder- 
ness. Some  obeyed,  while  others  refused.  Those 
who  followed  Noah  soon  grew  ashamed  of  their 
cowardice  and  desired  to  return  to  meet  the  La- 
manites to  avenge  the  slaughter  of  their  wives  and 
little  ones,  or  perish  as  they  had  done.  King  Noah 
objedled,  and  his  unworthy  priests  sustained  him. 
At  this,  the  soldiers  grew  exceedingly  angry ;  all 
love  for  him  as  a  man  was  crushed  out,  all  respecft 
for  him  as  a  monarch  was  lost ;  they  took  him  and 
burned  him  to  death,  as  he  had  done  Abinadi,  and 
would  have  sacrificed  the  priests  in  the  same  way 
had  they  not  fled  from  them.  They  then  turned 
their  faces  towards  Lehi-Nephi  and  were  overjoyed 
to  meet  some  messengers  who  bore  the  welcome 
tidings  that  the  Lamanites  had  spared  the  lives 
of  those  who  had  been  left  behind,  though  they 
held  them  in  bondage.  Noah  was  succeeded  by  his 
son  Lira  hi. 

NOAH.  An  early  Jaredite  leader,  the  son  of 
Corihor  and  the  father  of  Cohor.  Noah  rebelled 
against  king  Shule,  and  against  his  own  father, 
drawing  from  their  allegiance  all  his  brothers  and 
many  of  the  people.  When  sufficiently  strong,  he 
attacked  and  defeated  Shule,  and  took  possession 
and  reigned  over  the  land  of  the  Jaredites'  first 


Noah.  307     .       Noah,  Land  of. 

inheritance,  probably  Moron,  (near  the  land  known 
to  the  Nephites  as  Desolation).  A  second  time  he 
attacked  Shule,  defeated  and  captured  him,  and 
carried  him  to  Moron.  It  was  Noah's  intention 
to  put  Shule  to  death,  but  before  he  could  do  so 
some  of  the  sons  of  Shule  crept  into  the  house  of 
Noah  by  night  and  slew  him.  They  then  broke 
down  the  door  of  the  prison  in  which  their  father 
was  confined,  liberated  him  and  restored  him  to 
his  throne,  while  Cohor  reigned  over  that  portion 
of  the  land  originally  conquered  by  his  father, 
Noah.  (Ether,  7:  20.) 

NOAH.  The  Bible  Patriarch.  His  name  is 
mentioned  four  times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon — 
once  in  the  promise  (Alma,  10:  22)  that  the 
people  should  not  again  be  destroyed  by  a  flood  ; 
twice  in  a  quotation,  by  the  Savior,  of  Isaiah,  54: 
9 ;  and  once  in  the  statement  that  the  Jaredite 
barges- "were  tight  like  unto  the  ark  of  Noah." 
(Ether,  6:7.) 

NOAH,  CITY  OF.  One  of  the  western  cities 
of  the  Nephites,  not  far  from  Ammonihah.  After 
destroying  the  latter  city  (B.  C.  81),  the  Laman- 
ites  came  around  by  the  borders  of  Noah,  slew 
a  number  and  took  many  prisoners.  These  cap- 
tives were  afterwards  liberated  by  the  Nephite 
general,  Zoram,  and  restored  to  their  homes.  This 
city  was  strongly  fortified  by  Moroni,  so  that 
when  the  armies  of  Amalickiah  attempted  to 
carry  it  by  assault  (B.  C.73),  being  unable  to  force 
the  gates,  they  endeavored  to  dig  down  the  wall 
built  by  Moroni ;  but  in  this  vain  attempt  they 
left  more  than  a  thousand  dead  and  wounded  in 
the  ditch  surrounding  it,  w^hile  the  Nephites  had 
not  one  soldier  slain,  and  only  about  fifty  were 
wounded.    (Alijia,   49.) 

NOAH,  LAND  OF.  A  region  in  the  land  of 
Zarahemla,  contiguous  to  Ammonihah,  between  the 
river  Sidon  and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  We  are  of  the 
opinion  that  it  was  situated  in  the  wilderness  that 


Nob.  308  Omer. 

bordered  on  that  great  sea.  It  was  unsuccessfully 
invaded  by  the  Lamanites  in  B.C.  81  and  B.C. 73; 
but  doubtless  fell  into  their  hands  in  the  days  of 
Moronihah  (about  B.  C.  34),  when  the  whole  of 
South  America  fell  into  the  hands  of  Laman's 
savage  soldiery. 

NOB.  A  sacerdotal  city  in  the  tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin, situated  not  far  from  Jerusalem.  It  is 
only  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  Nephi's 
transcription  of  the  writings  of  Isaiah  (II  Nephi, 
20:  32). 

OGATH.  A  place  in  North  America  not  far 
from  the  hill  Ramah  (  Cumorah ),  and  consequently 
in  the  modern  State  of  New  York  (Ether,  15 :  10). 
Here  Shiz,  for  four  years,  gathered  those  of  the 
Jaredites,  men,  women,  and  children,  who  sympa- 
thized with  his  cause,  preparatory  to  the  final  con- 
test which  ended  in  the  utter  destrudlion  of  the 
Jaredite  race. 

OMER.  A  righteous,  but  unfortunate  king 
of  the  early  Jaredites.  He  was  the  son  of  Shule, 
and  the  father  of  a  prince  named  Jared.  Jared 
rebelled  against  his  father  and  by  his  flatteries 
led  away  the  people  of  half  the  kingdom.  He 
then  gave  battle  to  his  father  and  took  him 
prisoner,  holding  him  in  servitude  half  his  days. 
While  thus  in  bondage  Omer  begat  several  children, 
among  whom  were  two  sons,  named  Esrom  and 
Coriantumr.  When  these  young  men  grew  to 
manhood  they  espoused  the  cause  of  their  father, 
raised  an  army,  attacked  the  forces  of  Jared 
by  night,  and  utterly  routed  them.  Jared 
obtained  his  life  by  renouncing  his  rights  to  the 
throne,  and  Omer  was  reinstated  in  the  kingly 
authority.  Jared,  greatly  chagrined  at  the  loss  of 
the  royal  power,  entered  into  secret  combination 
with  Akish,  a  friend  of  Omer,  to  assassinate  the 
king  and  restore  Jared  to  the  throne.  Their 
attempt  was  partially  successful.  Omer  was  driven 
from  the  throne,  but,  being  warned  by  the  Lord  in 


309  Omner. 

a  dream,  he  fled,  with  the  faithful  portion  of  his 
family,  to  the  far  off  North  Atlantic  sea-board, 
passing  in  his  journey  the  hill  Shim,  where  the 
Nephite  records  were  in  after  ages  hid,  and  the 
hill  Cumorah.  From  the  diredlion  of  his  journey 
we  are  justified  in  believing  that  the  land  Ahlom, 
where  he  established  himself,  was  on  the  New 
England  coast.  From  time  to  time,  others  joined 
Omer,  while  the  Jaredite  people  were  rent  by  in- 
ternecine wars,  which  ended  in  their  almost  entire 
destruction.  Then  Omer  returned  with  his  follow- 
ers and  reigned  over  the  remnant  of  a  once  numer- 
ous people.  He  lived  to  be  exceedingly  old,  and 
two  years  before  his  death  he  anointed  his  son 
Emer  to  reign  in  his  stead.  His  days  were  many 
and  full  of  sorrow. 

OMNER.  One  of  the  sons,  apparently  the 
third,  oi  king  Mosiah  II.  With  his  brothers,  in 
early  life,  he  appears  to  have  been  an  unbeliever 
in  the  gospel,  and  an  enemy  to  the  people  of  God's 
church ;  with  them  he  was  brought  to  an  under- 
standing of  his  position  by  the  appearance  of  an 
angel.  He  then,  with  the  rest  who  witnessed  this 
heavenly  visitation,  went  abroad  among  the 
Nephites,  endeavoring,  by  his  diligence,  zeal  and 
self-abnegation,  to  atone  for  the  wrongs  he  had 
beforetime  committed.  In  B.  C.  91,  he  formed  one 
of  the  party  who  went  to  the  land  of  Nephi  to 
convert  the  Lamanites,  and  remained  in  that 
mission  until  its  close ,  suffered  in  all  its  privations 
and  persecutions  and  rejoiced  abundantly  in  its 
triumphs.  Of  his  individual  labors  in  that  mission 
little  is  said,  though  the  inference  may  be  drawn 
that  he  spent  a  considerable  portion  of  the  time 
with  and  assisted  his  brother  Aaron  in  his  labors 
and  ministrations.  He  returned  with  his  fellow 
missionaries  to  Zarahemla  in  B.  C.  78.  In  later 
years  (B.  C.  75),  he  accompanied  Alma,  and  others 
to  the  land  of  Antionum,  to  minister  among  the 
apostate  Zoraraites. 


Omner,  City  of.  310  Onidah,  Place. 

OMIVER,  CITY  OF.  A  city  of  the  Ncphites 
on  the  east  borders  by  the  sea  shore,  in  other 
words,  a  seaport  town  on  the  South  Atlantic 
Ocean  or  Caribbean  Sea.  It  was  probably  named 
after  Omner,  the  son  of  Mosiah,  and,  if  so,  we 
are  Justified,  from  the  custom  of  the  Nephites,  in 
believing  that  he  was  its  founder.  It  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Lamanites  in  B.  C.  67  (Alma,  51:26), 
and  undoubtedly  again  in  B.  C.  35,  (or  about  that 
time),  though  it  is  not  then  mentioned  by  name. 

OMNI.  A  Nephite  prophet,  son  of  Jarom,  and 
a  descendant  of  Jacob, the  younger  brother  of  Nephi. 
He  lived  in  the  land  of  Nephi,  and  was  the  custo- 
dian of  the  plates  of  Nephi  from  the  239th  to  the 
283d  year  of  the  Nephite  annals,  or  44  years. 
He  charadlerizes  himself  as  a  wicked  man,  who 
had  not  kept  the  commandments  and  statutes  of 
the  Lord  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  but  had  been 
principally  engaged  in  defending  his  people  from ' 
the  constantly  recurring  onslaught  of  the  Laman- 
ites. The  history  of  his  times  he  sums  up  in  one 
short  sentence:  ''And  it  came  to  pass  that  276 
years  had  passed  away  [from  the  time  Lehi  left 
Jerusalem]  and  we  had  many  seasons  of  peace  and 
we  had  many  seasons  of  serious  war  and  blood- 
shed." Having  kept  the  plates  according  to  the 
commandments  of  his  fathers,  he  conferred  them 
upon  his  son  Amaron.  (B.  C.  318.) 

ONIDAH,  HILL.  A  hill  in  the  land  of  An- 
tionum,  from  which  Alma,  the  younger,  preached 
to  the  Zoramites   (B.  C.  75)  (Alma,  32:   4). 

ONIDAH,  PLACE.  The  gathering  place 
of  the  dissatisfied  Lamanites,  led  by  Lehonti,  who 
refused  to  give  heed  to  the  king's  proclamation  of 
war  against  the  Nephites  (B.  C.  73).  Thither  the 
malcontents  were  followed  by  AmaUckiah  and  an 
army.  By  the  latter's  strategy  and  plotting  he 
obtained  an  interview  with  Lehonti  on  Mount 
Antipas,  and  arranged  to  surrender  his  troops. 
Onidah    is  called   "the  place  of  arms,"   and  may 


Onihah,  City  of.  311  Orihah. 

possibly  be  the  hill  Onidah  in  the  land  of  Anti- 
onum,  though  we  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  was 
not,  it  being  within  the  borders  of  the  Lamanite 
possessions.   (Alma,  47:   5.) 

ONIHAH,  CITY  OF.  One  of  the  wicked 
cities  swallowed  up  in  the  earth  during  the  great 
catacl^^sms  that,  on  this  continent,  bore  record 
of  the  death  of  the  Redeemer.  When  the  convul- 
sions were  ended,  a  stagnant  lake  occupied  the 
place  where  this  city  stood ;  it  and  all  its  sin- 
stained  inhabitants  were  destroyed.  This  city  is 
nowhere  mentioned  except  in  the  statement  of 
its  destrudlion.  (Ill  Nephi,  9:  7.) 
,  OPHIR.  The  Bible  land  of  gold.  Its  locality 
has  not  been  determined.  Some  suppose  it  to  have 
been  in  India,  some  in  Arabia,  some  in  eastern 
Africa.  It  is  named  but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon (II  Nephi,  23:  12),  in  a  quotation  from  the  A 
prophecies  of  Isaiah .    t%',  ft^ 

OREB,  ROCK  OF.  The  spot,  east  of  the 
Jordan,  where  thousands  of  the  Midianites  fell  by 
the  hands  of  the  Ephraim.ites.  It  is  mentioned 
but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  Nephi's  quo- 
tations from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah.  (II  Nephi, 
20:   26.) 

ORIHAH.  The  youngest  of  Jared's  four  sons 
and  the  first  king  of  the  Jaredites.  When  Jared 
and  his  brother  had  grown  old  and  desired  to 
know  the  wishes  of  their  peo])le  before  they  went 
down  to  their  graves,  the  people  desired  to  be  ruled 
by  a  king.  This  idea  was  displeasing  to  their 
leaders,  but  they  ultimately  consented  to  one  being 
chosen.  All  the  sons  of  Jared  and  of  his  brother 
refused  this  dignity,  until  Orihah  was  reached  and 
he  accepted  the  kingly  honor.  He  reigned  in 
righteousness,  executing  judgment  injustice,  w^alk- 
ing  humbl^^  before  Heaven,  and  instrucfting  his 
subjects  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord.  He  lived  to 
a  very  great  age,  was  the  father  of  thirty-one 
children,  twenty-three  of  whom  were  sons,   and 


Paanchi.  312  Pachus. 

when  he  died  he  was  succeeded  on  the  throne  by 
his  son  Kib.  The  Jaredites  prospered  and  mul- 
tiplied greatly  under  his  wise  and  beneficent  reign. 

PAANCHI.  A  son  of  Pah oran,  the  elder, 
who,  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  aspired  to  the 
vacant  judgment  seat.  When  the  choice  of  the 
Nephite  people  fell  on  his  brother,  Pahoran,  the 
younger,  Paanchi,  raised  the  standard  of  revolt, 
in  which  he  was  sustained  by  the  sympathies  of  a 
large  bod^^  of  the  people.  Before  he  could  put  his 
revolutionary-  intentions  into  adlion  he  was  ar- 
rested, tried  and  condemned  to  death  (B,  C.  52). 
This  prompt  adlion  excited  great  anger  among 
his  followers,  and  they  employed  an  assassin 
named  Kishkumen,  who  was  a  prominent  man 
among  them,  to  murder  the  new  Chief  Judge.  This 
he  successfully  accomplished  without  discovery.  It 
was  among  the  dissatisfied  and  turbulent  follow- 
ers of  Paanchi  that  the  Gadianton  robbers  ap- 
pear to  have  had  their  origin. 

PACHUS.  During  the  entire  continuance  of 
the  Nephite  Commonwealth  there  appear  to  have 
been  very  many  of  the  Nephites  to  whom  the  pomp 
and  glamour  of  royalty  had  uncontrollable  fascin- 
ations. Such  we  find  ever  ready  to  support  Am- 
Hci,  Pachus,  Jacob  or  any  other  man  who  put 
forth  claims  to  the  kingly  authority.  This  feeling, 
probably,  with  some,  had  its  origin  in  the  pleasant 
remembrances  of  the  happy  days  of  the  good  kings 
Benjamin  and  Mosiah,  but  we  fear  it  was  too  often 
attributable  to  a  selfish  ambition  which  saw  per- 
sonal agrandizement  or  exalted  position  in  the 
restoration  of  the  monarchy.  None  of  these  out- 
breaks appear  to  have  gained  greater  tempo- 
rarv  success  than  that  which  was  led  by  Pachus 
(B.^'C.  62). 

The  time  chosen  for  this  rebellion  was  one  ad- 
mirably suited  for  its  unholy  purposes.  The  Ne- 
phites were  weakened  by  the  long  continuance  of 
one  of  their  most  bloody  wars  with  theLamanites, 


313  Pachus. 

in  which  the  audacity  of  the  enemy  had  resulted 
in  the  loss  of  many  cities.  This  state  of  aiFairs 
naturally  caused  discontent,  which  was  increased 
by  the  subtletj^  of  the  traitors,  who  used  all  their 
influence  to  weaken  the  hands  of  the  government, 
at  the  same  time,  doubtless,  contrasting  the  glories 
of  the  monarch}'  with  the  misfortunes  of  the  re- 
public. These  wiles  had  their  effedl,  the  king-men 
rose  in  power,  took  possession  of  the  city  of  Zara- 
hemla,  withheld  reinforcements  and  provisions  from 
the  national  troops  on  the  battlefield,  and  drove 
the  Chief  Judge,  Pahoran,  out  of  the  capital.  The 
latter  retired  across  the  Sidontothe  citj^  of  Gideon. 

Pachus  was  then  recognized  as  king  of  the 
Nephites.  Thereupon  he  opened  communications 
with  the  Lamanites,  by  v^hich  he  agreed  to  hold 
Zarahemla  against  the  forces  of  the  republic, 
while  the  Lamanites  continued  the  warfare  on 
the  Atlantic  coast  and  in  the  southwest.  In^  this 
way,  the  contradling  parties  expe(?ted  to  conquer 
the  patriot  forces. 

When  Pahoran  reached  Gideon,  he  issued  a 
proclamation  to  the  people  in  the  regions  around 
about  to  gather  to  the  defense  of  their  common 
liberties.  This  appeal  was  so  heartily  responded 
to,  that  the  king-men  were  afraid  to  risk  the  issues 
of  battle  outside  of  Zarahemla.  Such  was  the  situ- 
ation when  Pahoran  wrote  to  Moroni,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  armies  of  the  Common- 
wealth, to  come  to  his  rescue.  Moroni,  who  was 
fighting  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard ,  promptly  obeyed . 
Gathering  up  volunteers  as  he  marched,  he  quickly 
arrived  at  Gideon,  w^here  he  joined  his  forces  to 
those  of  Pahoran,  and  unitedly  they  marched  into 
the  land  of  Zarahemla.  A  battle  ensued  in  which 
the  royalists  were  defeated  and  king  Pachus  was 
slain.  As  a  natural  consequence,  Pahoran  was 
reinstated  in  the  judgment  seat,  and  for  a  short 
time  the  Nephite  Commonwealth  was  free  from 
internal  dissension. 


Pacumeni.  314  Pagag. 

The  trials  of  the  captured  king-men  then 
commenced.  Those  found  guilty  of  treason  were 
executed,  or  were  allowed  the  privilege  of  joining 
the  armies  in  the  field  and  fighting  for  the  liberties 
of  the  people.  Many  embraced  this  offer,  while 
others  preferred  to  die  with  the  lost  cause,  rather 
than  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  the  government 
they  hated. 

PACUMENI.  At  the  death  of  Pahoran,  the 
elder,  the  Nephite  Chief  Judge,  three  of  his  sons 
contended  for  the  successorship.  The  people  chose 
Pahoran,  the  younger.  To  this  choice  Pacumeni 
assented,  while  the  other  brother,  Paanchi,  rose 
in  rebellion.  Shortlj^  after,  Pahoran  was  assassin- 
ated b}^  Kishkumen,  a  follower  of  Paanchi,  when 
Pacumeni  was  chosen  by  the  people  to  fill  the 
vacant  judgment  seat.  All  this  occurred  in  the 
fortieth  year  of  the  Judges,  or  B.  C.  52. 

In  the  year  following,  the  Lamanites  gathered 
an  innumerable  army  and  invaded  thelandof  Zara- 
hemla.  Their  commander  was  named  Coriantumr. 
He  led  his  vast  hosts  dire(ftly  towards  the  Nephite 
capital,  which  he  surprised  and  captured,  the 
Nephites  still  suffering  from  the  effedls  of  the 
late  divisions  and  contentions.  This  was  the  first 
time,  so  far  as  we  have  any  record,  that  the  city 
of  Zarahemla  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Lamanites. 

Pacumeni  fled  before  Coriantumr  when  he 
found  the  city  had  been  surprised,  the  watch  slain, 
and  its  streets  filled  with  hostile  troops,  but  he 
was  overtaken  before  he  could  pass  beyond  the 
walls  and  was  smitten,  by  the  hands  of  Corian- 
tumr, "against  the  wall,  insomuch  that  he  died," 

PAGAG.  The  eldest  son  of  the  brother  oi 
Jared.  When  it  was  decided  to  establish  a  mon- 
archy on  the  new  land  to  which  the  Lord  had  led 
the  Jaredites,  Pagag  was  the  first  choice  of  the  peo- 
ple for  king.  But  he  resolutely  refused  the  honor, 
sensing,  perhaps,  the  evils  which  would  follow  the 
adoption  of  this  form  of  government.    The  people 


315    Pahoran,  the  elder. 

desired  that  his  father  should  compel  him  to  be 
king,  but  he  would  not  do  so,  and  commanded 
that  they  should  constrain  no  man  to  be  their 
king.  The  result  was  that  all  Pagag's  brothers 
and  three  of  the  four  sons  of  Jared  followed  his 
example,  and  when  chosen  refused  to  accept  the 
proffered  dignity ;  at  last,  Orihah,  the  fourth  son 
of  Jared,  accepted.  Nothing  more  is  said  of  Pagag 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  but  from  his  a6lion  in 
this  matter  we  judge  him  to  havp  been  a  wise  and 
God-fearing  man.    (Ether,  6:   25.) 

PAHORAN,  THE  ELDER.  The  third  chief 
judge  of  the  Nephite  republic.  He  succeeded  his 
father,  Nephihah,  on  the  judgment  seat,  B.  C,  68, 
and  held  that  exalted  position  until  his  death  in 
B.  C.  53,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Pahoran.  The  days  that  Pahoran  judged  the 
people  w^ere  full  of  tumult  and  war.  No  sooner 
was  he  placed  on  the  judgment  seat  than  great  con- 
tentions arose  between  the  royalists  and  republi- 
cans. There  was  quite  a  number  of  the  people 
who  desired  to  restore  the  monarchy,  but  thej" 
were  not  as  numerous  as  those  who  desired  to 
maintain  the  existing  form  of  government.  Being 
outvoted,  the  king-men  refused  to  take  up  arms 
against  the  hosts  of  the  Lamanites  under  Amalic- 
kiah,  who  were  then  invading  the  lands  of  the 
Nephites.  Full  power  being  given  to  Moroni,  the 
Nephite  general,  to  deal  with  these  rebels,  he 
marched  against  them  with  his  forces,  and  in  the 
conflidl  that  followed  4,000  of  the  royalists  were 
slain,  while  many  of  their  leaders  were  captured 
and  cast  into  prison.  The  remainder  submitted, 
joined  their  countrymen  in  opposing  the  Lamanite 
hosts,  and  gave  full  allegiance  to  the  republican 
government.  In  the  meantime,  the  Nephites  hav- 
ing been  weakened  by  their  internal  dissensions, 
Amalickiah  marched  triumphantly  northward, 
capturing  city  after  city,  along  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board, while  his  brother  Ammoron  conducfted   a 


Pahoran,the  younger  316 

vidlorious  campaign  in  the  southwest.  The  calam- 
ities brought  on  by  this  royaUst  defecation  lasted 
many  years,  for  the  war  was  not  ended  until  B.  C. 
61,  and  for  many  years  afterwards  its  evil  effecfhs, 
in  the  condition  of  the  people,  were  widely  mani- 
fest. Even  while  the  war  continued,  a  second 
royalist  uprising  occurred.  Pachas,  the  leader, 
drove  Pahoran  from  the  judgment  seat  and  ob- 
tained control  in  Zarahemla.  The  chief  judge 
retired  to  Gideon.  Shortly  afterwards  (B.  C.  62), 
Moroni  came  to  the  assistance  of  Pahoran,  and 
their  united  forces  gave  battle  to  the  rebels,  in 
which  encounter  Pachus  was  slain  and  his  follow- 
ers defeated.  This  ended  the  second  attempt  to 
re-establish  the  kingly  form  of  government  during 
Pahoran's  judgeship.  After  the  termination  of  the 
war  with  the  Lamanites,  every  effort  was  put 
forth  to  counteradl  the  demoralization  which  the 
long-continued  struggle  had  induced.  Helarnan, 
and  other  leaders  in  the  priesthood,  went  forth 
among  the  people  preaching  the  word  and  organ- 
izing the  churches ;  while  Pahoran  and  his  asso- 
ciates gave  their  attention  to  restoring  civil  order. 
A  few  years  later  (B.  C.  55),  the  colonization  of 
the  northern  continent  began,  which  was  contin- 
ued with  increasing  numbers  of  emigrants  during 
the  succeeding  years.  In  B.  C.  53,  dissension  again 
had  place  among  the  Nephites,  numbers  went  over 
to  the  Lamanites  and  stirred  up  strife.  An  inva- 
sion followed,  which  was  speedily  repulsed  by  the 
forces  of  Moronihah,  the  son  of  Moroni.  The 
chara(?ter  of  Pahoran  is  best  shown  in  his  epistle 
to  Moroni  (Alma,  ch.  61).  He  was  evidently  a 
wise  judge,  a  faithful  servant  of  God,  and  a  lo^^al 
citizen  of  the  republic.  He  also  seems  to  have 
possessed  the  characfteristics  of  patience,  mildness 
and  forgiveness  to  a  marked  degree,  but  was  not 
lacking  in  courage,  zeal  or  determination. 

PAHOKAN,    THE    YOUNGER.      At    the 
death  of  Pahoran,  the  first  Chief  Judge  of  that 


Palestina.  317  Pekah. 

name  who  ruled  the  Nephites,  a  contention  arose 
among  three  of  his  sons  (Pahoran,  Paanchi,  and 
Pacuwenj, )  as  to  which  of  them  should  succeed 
him.  As  is  usual  in  such  cases,  each  one  had  his 
followers,  causing  much  dissension,  trouble  and 
confusion  among  the  Nephites.  ( B.  C.  52.)  The 
question  was  decided  by  the  votes  of  the  citizens  of 
the  republic,  who  chose  Pahoran  to  be  chief 
judge  and  governor  over  the  people  of  Nephi. 
In  this  decision  Pacumeni  acquiesced,  but  Paanchi 
raised  the  standard  of  revolt. 

Pahoran  retained  the  judgment  seat  but  a 
very  short  time.  He  was  foully  assassinated,  when 
in  the  execution  of  his  duty,  by  one  Kishkumen,  a 
leader  among  the  Gadianton  robbers,  and  an  ad- 
herent of  the  Paanchi  facfhion.  So  speedy  was 
the  flight  of  the  murderer,  and  so  well  was  he  dis- 
guised, that  he  was  not  captured. 

These  things  all  took  place  in  the  fortieth  year  of 
the  Nephite  judges,  and  Pacumeni  was  appointed 
to  fill  the  place  rendered  vacant  b}^  the  murder  of 
Pahoran, 

The  only  noteworthy  event  that  took  place 
during  his  short  rule  was  the  commencement  of 
the  organization  of  that  terrible  band,  the  Gad- 
ianton robbers. 

.        PALESTINA.  A  poetical  name  for  the  Holy 
^Land  which  occurs  twice  in  the  Book  of  Mormon 
(II  Nephi,  24:  29,  31),  in  a  quotation   from  the    ^ 
writings  of  Isaiah. 

PATHROS.  A  region  of  upper  Egypt.  It 
is  mentioned  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  ( II 
Nephi,  21  :  11 )  in  a  quotation  from  the  prophecies 
of  Isaiah. 

PEKAH.  The  eighteenth  king  of  the  king- 
dom of  Israel.  He  was  originally  a  captain  of 
king  Pekahiah,  but  he  murdered  his  master  and 
seized  the  throne.  After  a  reign  of  about  thirteen 
years  he  was  put  to  death  by  Hoshea,  the  son  of 
Elah.    (  About  B.  C.  740.)     His  name  is  once  used 


Pharaoh.  318  Rameumptom. 

n  thei  Book    of  Mormon,  in  a  transcription  from 
the  writings  of  Isaiah  (II  Nephi,  17:  1).  ^ 

PHARAOH.  The  title  of  the  supreme  ruler 
of  ancient  Egypt.  The  individual  monarch  spoken 
of  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  the  one  in  whose 
reign  the  Hebrews  were  delivered  from  the  bond- 
age of  the  Egyptians,  under  Moses  and  Aaron. 
His  name  is  mentioned  twice  (I  Nephi,  4:  2;  17: 
27  ),  and  on  both  occasions  in  connedlion  with  the 
destrudlion  of  his  armies  in  the  Red  Sea. 

PHILISTINES.  The  Bible  people  of  that 
name.  They  had  settled  in  Palestine  as  early  as 
the  days  of  Abraham.  In  later  times  they  grew  to 
be  the  constant  enemies  of  the  Israelites.  They 
are  mentioned  three  times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon 
(II  Nephi,  12:  6;  19:  12;  21:  14),  always  in  quota-  ^ 
tions  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah. 

RAHAB.      Said  to  be    a  poetical  name  for 
Egypt.    It  occurs  but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, in  a  quotation  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah.  ^ 
(II  Nephi,  8:  9.) 

RAM  AH  HILL.  The  Jaredite  name  for  the 
Hill  Cumorah.  In  its  immediate  vicinity  both  the 
Jaredite  and  Nephite  peoples  were  destroyed. 

RAMATH.    Acity  of  the  tribe  of  Simeon.    It 
is   mentioned    (II  Nephi,   20:   29)   in  a  quotation  L^ 
from  the  writings  of  Isaiah. 

RAMEUMPTOM.  The  name  given  by  the 
Zoramite  apostates  to  the  elevated  place  in  their 
synagogues,  whence  they  offered  up  their  vain- 
glorious and  hypocritical  prayers.  Alma  states 
the  word  means  a  holy  stand.  It  resembles,  in  its 
roots,  Hebrew,  and  also  Egyptian,  in  a  remark- 
able manner.  Ramoth,high  (as  Ramoth  Gilead), 
elevated,  a  place  where  one  can  see  and  be  seen; 
or,  in  a  figurative  sense,  sublime  or  exalted. 
Mptom  has  probably  its  root  in  the  Hebrew  word 
translated  threshold,  as  we  are  told  that  the 
I  Philistine's  god,Dagon,had  a  threshold  in  Ashdod 
(see  I  Samuel,  5:  4,  5).    Words  with  this  root  are 


Red  Sea.  319  Riplakish. 

quite  numerous  in  the  Bible.  Thus  we  see  how 
Rameumptom  means  a  high  place  to  stand  upon, 
a  holy  stand.  • 
)J-^  RED  SEA.  This  sea  is  mentioned  by  name 
thirteen  times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Of  these 
thirteen,  eight  passages  are  associated  with  the 
destrudlion  of  the  armies  of  Pharaoh  in  the  days 
of  Moses,  the  other  five  occur  in  conne(ftion  with 
the  travels  of  Lehi  and  his  company  from  Jerusa- 
lem (B,  C.  600)  to  its  upper  waters,  and  their 
encampment  on  its  shores,  with  the  incidents  that 
took  place  while  they  tarried  there.  The  continu- 
ation of  their  journey  therefrom  is  mentioned  in 
I  Nephi,  16 :  14. 

KEMLIA.      The    father    of    Pekah,    king  of 
Israel.     His  name  is  mentioned  five  times  in  the   ^^ 
Book  of  Mormon  (II  Nephi,  Chap.  17  and  18),  in  ^^^ 
quotations  from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah. 

KEZIN.         A  king  of  Damascus,  contempo- 
rary with  Pekah,  king  of  Israel.     His  name  occurs 
five  times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  quotations 
from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah.  (II  Nephi,  17:  1,  4,    L^ 
8;  18:  6;  19:  11) 

KIPLAH,  HILL.  A  hill  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river  Sidon,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
land  of  Manti.  Here  a  severe  battle  was  fought 
between  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites  (B.  C.  75). 
The  former  were  commanded  by  Moroni  and  Lehi, 
and  the  latter  by  Zarahemnah.  The  loss  was  so 
great  on  both  sides  that  the  dead  were  not 
counted.  The  battle  ended  in  the  surrender  of 
the  Lamanites,  who,  having  given  up  their  arms, 
and  covenanted  that  they  would  never  again 
come  to  war  against  the  Nephites,  were  permitted 
to  depart  into  the  wilderness. 

RIPLAKISH.  An  unrighteous  king  of  the 
Jaredites.  He  greatly  afflidled  his  people  by  im- 
posing upon  them  grievously  heavy  taxes,  and 
when  they  could  not,  or  would  not  pay  these  ex- 
a(ftions  he  cast  them  into  prison,  where  he  com- 


Ripliancum.  320  Sam. 

pelled  them  to  labor  continually  to  sustain  him  in 
his  whoredoms  and  abominations,  and  in  the 
eredlion  of  costly  and  magnificent  edifices  that 
confluced  to  his  luxury ;  if  any  prisoner  refused  to 
labor  he  was  put  to  death.  In  this  way  he 
greatlj/  adorned  his  kingdom,  but  he  also  filled  it 
with  prisons.  For  forty-two  years  the  people 
groaned  under  his  oppressions,  when  they  rose  in 
their  anger,  slew  Riplakish  and  drove  his  descend- 
ants out  of  the  land.  What  form  of  government 
immediately  followed  is  uncertain,  we  have  no 
information  on  this  point,  but  we  are  told  that 
after  many  years  one  of  his  descendants,  named 
Morifinton,  established    himself  as  king. 

KIPLIANCUM.  Supposed  by  some  to  be 
lake  Ontario,  but  evidently  one  of  that  great 
chain  of  lakes.  Its  meaning  is  said  to  be,  "large, 
or  to  excel  all,"  (Ether,  15:  8.)  Near  its  waters 
the  opposing  Jaredite  armies,  commanded  by 
Coriantumr  and  Shiz,  camped,  and  afterwards 
fought  an  exceedingly  sore  battle,  in  which  the 
latter  was  defeated  and  driven  southward 
towards  the  hill  Ramah,  or  Cumorah. 

SALEM.  The  city  or  country  over  which 
Melchizedek  reigned.  It  is  only  in  connedlion 
with  this  circumstance  that  Salem  is  mentioned 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon.     (Alma,  13 :  17,  18. ) 

SAM.  An  Israelite  of  the  tribe  of  Manasseh. 
He  was  the  third  son  of  Lehi  and  Sariah,  and  was 
born  and  brought  up  in  Jerusalem.  He  accom- 
panied his  parents  in  their  exodus  from  that  city 
(B.  C.  600),  and  was  priveleged,  with  them,  to 
reach  the  promised  land.  He  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  a  leading  spirit,  but  was  obedient  and 
faithful,  and  in  almost  every  case  sided  with  the 
right  and  followed  the  teachings  of  his  father  and 
the  counsels  of  his  more  fervent  brother,  Nephi. 
For  this  he  suffered  the  anger  and  abuse  of  his 
elder  brothers,  who  sometimes  resorted  to  per- 
sonal violence  when  matters  did  not  go   to  suit 


Samaria,  321  Samuel. 

them.  When  the  colony  divided,  after  the  death  of 
Lehi,  Sam  and  his  family  joined  their  fortunes  to 
those  of  Nephi.  Of  Sam's  birth  and  death  we 
haveno  record.  He  married  one  of  the  daughters  of 
Ishmael  whiletheparty  was  encamped  in  the  valley 
of  Lemuel,  on  the  borders  of  the  Red  Sea. 

SAMARIA.  The  chief  city  of  the  kingdom  of 
Israel,  and  figuratively  the  people  of  that  kingdom. 
It  is  mentioned  seven  times  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, always  in  quotations  from  the  writings  of 
Isaiah  (II  Nephi,  17:  9;  18;  4;  19:  9;  20:  9,  10,  11). 

SAMUEL,  THE  L.AMANITE.  The  condi- 
tion of  society  in  the  days  of  Samuel  was  some- 
what peculiar.  (B.  C.  6.)  The  Nephites  and 
Lamanites  had,  so  far  as  righteousness  was  con- 
cerned, to  a  great  extent  changed  places.  The 
former  were  puffed  up  with  worldly  pride,  were  full 
of  vain  boastings,  envyings,  strifes,  malice,  perse- 
cutions, murders  and  all  manner  of  iniquities. 
They  cast  out,  stoned  and  slew  the  servants  of 
God,  while  they  encouraged,  exalted  and  rewarded 
the  false  teachers  who  flattered  them  in  their  vile- 
ness.  They  reveled  in  all  the  luxury  that  the  fat- 
ness of  the  land  brought  forth;  they  were  ostenta- 
tious in  the  use  of  gold  and  silver  and  precious 
things  ;  but  their  hearts  never  turned  in  thankful- 
ness to  the  great  Giver  of  all  those  bounties.  The 
majority  of  the  Lamanites,  on  the  contrary, 
walked  circumspectly  before  God,  they  were  full  of 
faith  and  integrity,  were  zealous  in  the  work  of 
converting  their  fellows,  and  kept  the  command- 
ments, statutes  and  judgments  of  the  Lord,  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  Moses. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  the 
Lamanite  prophet,  Samuel,  appeared  among  the 
citizens  of  Zarahemla,  and  for  many  days  preached 
repentance  in  their  midst.  Their  eyes  were  blind 
and  their  ears  were  deaf,  sin  filled  their  souls,  and 
in  their  anger  they  cast  him  out.  But  the  work  of 
his  mission  was  not  yet  accomplished.    As  he  was 


Samuel.  322 

preparing  to  return  to  his  own  country,  a  holy 
angel  visited  him  and  proclaimed  the  voice  of  the 
Lord;  that  voice  said  that  he  should  turn  back 
and  prophesy  to  the  people  of  Zarahemla  the 
things  that  should  come  into  his  heart. 

He  returned  to  the  city,  but  v^^as  refused 
admission  at  its  gates.  The  iniquitous  dwellers 
therein  had  no  desire  to  have  their  peace  disturbed 
by  the  voice  of  Divine  threatenings.  But  the 
prophet  had  the  word  of  the  Lord  burning  within 
him,  and  could  not  be  restrained.  He  mounted 
the  walls  of  the  city,  and  from  this  conspicuous 
vantage  ground,  with  outstretched  hands  and 
loud  voice,  he  proclaimed  to  the  wicked  the  unwel- 
come tidings  of  their  coming  destrudlion.  Many 
listened  to  his  proclamation,  some  few  were 
pricked  in  their  hearts,  repented  of  their  evil  deeds, 
and  sought  the  prophet  Nephi,  that  they  might  be 
baptized.  Others  were  angry,  they  gathered  up 
the  stones  in  the  roadway  and  hurled  them  at 
Samuel,  they  drew  forth  their  bows  and  shot 
arrows  at  him,  but  to  no  effect;  the  protedling 
power  of  God  was  around  him,  and  he  could  not 
be  harmed.  When  some  beheld  how  wonderfully  the 
prophet  was  preserved,  it  was  a  testimony  to 
them  that  God  was  with  him,  and  they  also 
sought  Nephi,  confessing  their  sins.  But  the  great 
body  of  the  populace  grew  more  enraged  at  the 
want  of  success  that  attended  their  murderous 
efforts.  They  called  upon  their  captains  to  seize 
and  bind  him.  Following  the  wild,  satanic  cry 
of  the  multitude,  the  officers  attempted  to  take 
him,  but  he  cast  himself  down  and  fled  to  his  own 
country,  where  he  began  to  preach  and  prophesy 
among  his  own  people.  And  from  that  time  the 
voice  of  Samuel  was  never  again  heard  among  the 
children  of  Nephi,  but  in  later  years  Jesus,  Nephi, 
Mormon  and  others  quoted  his  prophecies  or  re- 
ferred to  his  testimon3^ 

Nearly    all    the    events,    great    and    glorious, 


Samuel.  323  Sariah. 

terrible  and  heartrending,  of  which  Samuel  pro- 
phesied, were  fulfilled  before  the  inspired  historians 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  sealed  up  its  record. 
Prominent  among  these  predications  were  the  signs 
that  should  occur  at  the  advent  of  our  Savior; 
the  two  davs  and  a  night  of  continued  light,  and 
the  appearance  of  a  new  star  in  the  heavens,  that 
should  mark  His  birth  at  Bethlehem,  even  to  the 
exadl  3'ear  ^^hen  these  things  should  take  place ; 
also  the  convulsions,  the  storms,  the  earthquakes 
that  should  attend  His  crucifixion,  and  the  resur- 
redlion  of  many  of  the  Saints  that  should  follow 
His  resurrec?tion.  He  also  foretold,  with  great 
clearness  and  minuteness,  that  in  subsequent  years 
the  Nephites  should  grow  in  iniquity,  and  because 
of  their  wickedness,  their  treasures,  their  tools, 
their  swords,  etc.,  should  become  slippery,  and 
magic  and  its  like  should  abound,  and  within 
four  hundred  years,  the  Nephite  race  should  be  de- 
stroyed. To  the  fulfilment  of  these  prophecies 
Nephi,  Mormon  and  Moroni  bear  record. 

SAMUEL.  The  Israelitish  prophet.  He  is 
mentioned  but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and 
then  b^^  the  Savior,  who  said  to  the  Nephites:  ''All 
the  prophets  from  Samuel,  and  those  that  follow 
after,  as  many  as  have  spoken,  have  testified  of 
me."  (HI  Nephi,  20:  24.) 

SARAH.  The  wife  of  Abraham.  She  is  men- 
tioned but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  aquo- 
tation  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah.  (II  Nephi,  8:  2.) 

SARIAH.  The  wife  of  Lehi.  She  was  the 
mother  of  six  sons  and  some  daughters,  the  num- 
ber of  the  latter  is  not  given  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon. But  very  little  is  said  of  Sariah  in  the  sacred 
record  :  she  is  only  mentioned  by  name  five  times, 
but  we  are  of  the  opinion,  from  the  incidental  ref- 
ererxes  made  to  her,  that  she  did  not  possess  very 
great  faith  in  the  mission  of  her  husband,  or  in  the 
fulfilment  of  his  prophecies;  she  rather  regarded 
him  as  a  visionary  man,  who  was  leading  her  and 


Saul.  324  Seantum. 

her  children  into  trouble  and  danger  by  his  dreams 
and  revelations,  and  consequently  was  prone  to 
murmur  when  any  difficulty  arose.  Four  of  her 
sons  were  grown  to  manhood  when  she  left  Jeru- 
salem (B.  C,  600),  the  other  two  were  born  during 
the  little  company' seight  years' journey  in  the  wil- 
derness. When  Sari  ah 's  daughters  were  born  is 
very  uncertain,  thej^  are  not  spoken  of  at  the  time 
their  parents  left  Jerusalem,  nor  is  their  birth  af- 
terwards mentioned.  We  are  told  nine  or  ten  years 
after  the  company's  departure  from  the  Holy 
City,  when  it  was  on  the  ocean,  that  Lehi  and 
Sariah  were  well  stricken  with  years,  so  we  think 
it  quite  possible  that  Lehi's  daughters  were  born 
at  Jerusalem.  This  is  made  more  probable  \A"hen 
we  remember  that  Nephi,  the  youngest  of  the  four 
sons,  would  probably  be  about  twenty  years  old 
when  his  younger  brothers  were  born.  It  seems 
reasonable,  when  we  consider  the  age  of  Sariah, 
that  it  was  during  this  lapse  of  twenty  years,  and 
not  later,  that  his  sisters  came  into  the  world. 

Of  Sariah's  birth  and  death  we  have  no  record, 
nor  to  what  tribe  of  Israel  she  belonged.  She  lived 
to  reach  the  promised  land,  and,  being  then  aged 
and  worn  out  by  the  difficulties  and  privations  of 
the  journey  through  the  Arabian  wilderness,  very 
probably  passed  into  her  grave  before  her  husband. 

SAUIj.  The  name  of  this  king  only  appears 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  a  quotation  from  the 
writings  of  Isaiah  (II  Nephi,  20:  29),  and  in  con- 
nedlion  with  the  town  of  Gibeah,  the  residence  of 
Saul,  to  distinguish  that  place  from  other  towns 
in  Palestine  of  the  same  name. 

SEANTUM.  A  Nephite  of  importance,  who 
belonged  to  the  Gadianton  bands.  His  brother, 
Seezoratn,  also  a  Gadianton,  was  Chief  Judge,  and 
Seantum,  in  his  conscienceless  ambition,  with  his 
own  hand  slew  his  brother,  in  order  that  he  might 
attain  to  this  dignity  (B.  C.  23).  His  crime  was 
exposed  by  Nephi,  through  the  inspiration  of  the 


Sebus,  Waters  of.       325  Seezoram. 

Spirit  of  God,  and  when  he  was  charged  with  the 
murder,  and  blood  was  found  on  his  garments,  he 
first  denied,  but  afterwards  confessed  that  he  was 
guilty.  We  are  not  informed  whether  or  not  he 
suffered  the  consequences  of  his  crime,  but  it  is 
highly  probable  that,  owing  to  his  influence  and 
the  prevailing  iniquity  of  the  people,  he  escaped 
punishment. 

SEBUS,  WATERS  OF.  A  watering  place 
in  the  Land  of  Ishmael,  which,  in  the  time  of  La- 
moni,  was  used  to  water  the  king's  flocks.  On  its 
banks  occurred  the  conflict:  between  Amnion,  the 
son  of  Mosiah,  and  the  Lamanite  robbers,  who 
sought  to  scatter  the  royal  cattle. 

SEEZORAM.  A  member  of  the  Gadianton 
band,  eledled  by  the  Nephites,  during  the  times  of 
their  degeneracy,  to  be  their  Chief  Judge.  The  date 
of  his  elec?tion  is  not  given,  but  he  probably  suc- 
ceeded the  son  of  Cezoram,  who  was  assassinated. 
(B.  C.  26.)  Seezoram  himself  was  murdered  in  the 
year  B.  C.  23,  in  the  city  of  Zarahemla,  b3^  his 
brother  Seantum,  who  desired  to  obtain  the  chief 
judgeship. 

The  three  years  preceding  the  death  of  Seezo- 
ram are  dark  ones  in  the  history  of  the  Nephites. 
The  people  were  rapidly  growing  in  iniquity  — 
they  gave  succor  and  support  to  the  Gadianton 
bands,  whose  members  held  the  chief  oflftces  in  the 
gift  of  the  people.  Justice  was  travestied,  the  law 
was  administered  in  the  interest  of  the  wicked  and 
of  those  who  would  bribe  or  buy  the  judges;  while 
the  righteous  were  persecuted,  abused  and  robbed 
in  its  name.  It  thus  became  an  engine  of  oppres- 
sion to  the  good  or  uninfluential,  and  an  instru- 
ment to  aid  and  protect  the  vile  and  the  influen- 
tial in  all  their  evil-doing. 

The  prophet  Nephi  was  the  first  who  informed 
the  people  of  the  death  of  their  chief  magistrate. 
He  was  preaching  from  a  tower  in  his  garden  at 
the  time  the  foul  deed  was  perpetrated.     By  the 


Seth.  326  Shared. 

spirit  of  revelation  he  told  his  hearers  what  had 
been  done ;  five  of  them  hastened  to  the  judgment 
hall  and  found  it  was  as  the  prophet  had  declared. 
So  thunderstruck  were  they  that  they  swooned, 
in  which  condition  they  were  discovered  by  others, 
with  the  murdered  Seezoram  lying  before  them. 
When  they  recovered,  they  found  themselves  in 
prison,  charged  with  the  crime,  and  Nephi  was 
also  arrested,  because  of  his  prophecy,  charged  as 
an  accessory  before  the  fadl.  The  confession  of 
Seantum,  that  he  was  the  guilty  one,  brought 
about  the  release  of  all  those  who  had  been  im- 
prisoned, and  the  five  unfortunate  accused  were 
converted  to  the  Lord. 

Of  Seezoram's  life,  acts  or  charadler  we  have 
no  record;  it  is  probable,  nay,  we  must  almost 
necessarily  believe,  that  he  w^as  a  leader  in  iniquit^^ 
or  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  him  to  have 
attained  his  exalted  position  through  the  votes  of 
the  sin-stained  majority. 

SETH,  A  Jaredite  prince,  the  son  of  king 
Shiblom,  who,  in  the  war  in  which  his  father  was 
slain,  was  brought  into  captivity,  and  so  held  all 
the  rest  of  his  life.  His  son,  Ahah,  regained  the 
kingdom.    Of  Seth's  charadler  we  have  no  details. 

SHARED.  A  Jaredite  military  commander 
opposed  to  Coriantumr  during  a  part  of  the  great 
series  of  wars  w^hich  ended  in  the  destruc?tion  of 
that  race.  Nothing  is  said  of  him  until  he  comes 
to  the  front  as  the  leader  of  an  army  which  gave 
battle  to  Coriantumr  and  defeated  him.  This  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  lengthy  campaign,  and  not 
one  solitary  fight,  for  we  are  told  that  "in  the 
third  year  he  (Shared)  did  bring  him  into  cap- 
tivity. And  the  sons  of  Coriantumr,  in  the  fourth 
year,  did  beat  Shared,  and  did  obtain  the  kingdom 
again  unto  their  father."  The  war,  at  this  period, 
would  seem  to  have  grown  bej'ond  the  control  of 
the  great  leaders,  and  to  have  degenerated  into  a 
condition  of  affairs  in  which  every  man's  hand  was 


Shazer.  327  Shem. 

against  his  neighbor,  and  mobs,  instead  of  dis- 
ciplined armies,  carried  bloodshed  and  devastation 
far  and  wide,  throughout  the  land.  Bands  of 
brigands  and  robbers  committed  all  manner  of 
outrages,  and  the  country  was  a  scene  of  anarchy 
and  horror  from  one  end  to  the  other.  After  a 
time,  Coriantumr,  being  exceedingly  angry,  gather- 
ed his  forces  and  met  Shared  in  the  valley  of  Gil- 
gal.  The  fight,  which  lasted  three  days,  was  a 
desperate  and  stubborn  one.  Shared  was  beaten 
and  retreated  as  far  as  the  plains  of  Heshlon^ 
where  he  again  withstood  Coriantumr,  and  this 
time  was  vi(ftorious,  driving  his  foes  back  to  their 
former  battle  ground — the  valley  of  Gilgal.  Here 
another  fierce  battle  was  fought,  in  which  Shared 
was  slain  and  his  troops  defeated.  In  after  3'ears, 
GiJead,  a  brother  of  Shared 's,  took  his  place  and 
continued  the  bitter  conflidl  with  Coriantumr. 

SHAZEK.  A  place  in  the  Arabian  desert, 
where  Lehi  and  his  colony. rested  while  the  hunters 
of  the  partv  procured  a  supply  of  food  (B.  C.  600). 

SHEARJASHUB.  The  son  of  Isaiah,  the 
prophet,  mentioned  only  in  a  quotation  from  his 
writings.    (II  Nephi,  17 :  3.) 

SHELEM.  A  mountain  to  which  the  Jaredites 
gave  this  name  because  of  its  exceeding  height,  situ- 
ated not  far  from  the  great  ocean  which  they  were 
about  to  cross.  It  was  upon  this  mountain  that 
the  Savior  touched  with  His  finger  the  sixteen 
stones  which  were  to  give  light  in  the  barges  built 
to  carry  them  to  the  promised  land ;  and  here  He 
showed  Himself  to  the  brother  of  Jared  and  re- 
vealed to  him  the  great  truths  regarding  His  com- 
ing to  the  earth  in  the  flesh.    (Ether,  ch.  3,  4.) 

SHEM.  A  Nephite  general,  who  commanded 
a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last  great 
struggle  between  the  Ncphites  and  the  Lamanites. 
He,  with  all  his  command,  \yas  slain  in  the  final 
series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumorah,  w^hen  the 
Nephite  nation  was  annihilated.   (A.  C.  385.) 


Shem,  City  of.  328  Shemnon. 

SHEM,  CITY  OF.  A  city  on  the  northern 
continent,  north  of  Antum  and  Jashon.  To  this 
city  the  Nephites,  under  Mormon,  were  driven 
by  the  Lamanites  and  Gadiantons  (A.  C.  345). 
Here,  however,  they  made  a  stand  and  fortified 
the  city.  Encouraged  by  the  earnest  pleadings  of 
their  commander,  30,000  of  them  gave  battle  to 
50,000  Lamanites,  and  defeated  them.  The  Ne- 
phites followed  up  their  vidlory  with  such  decisive 
adlion  that  the  enemy  were  driven  continually 
southward,  until  (A.  C.  350)  a  treaty  was  entered 
into,  by  the  terms  of  which  the  Nephites  retained 
possession  of  the  whole  of  North  America  and  the 
Lamanites  held  the  southern  continent. 

SHEM,  LAND  OF.  The  region  immediately 
surrounding  the  City  of  Shem.  It  appears  to  have 
been  situated  considerably  to  the  north 

SHEMLON,  LAND  OF.  A  region  contig- 
uous to  Lehi-Nephiy  apparently  a  neighboring 
valley.  It  w^as  a  portion  of  the  Nephite  domain 
until  their  exodus  to  Zarahemla  under  the  first 
Mosiah,  when  the  Lamanites  took  possession  of 
it,  and  ever  afterwards  retained  it.  They  did  not 
cede  it  to  the  people  of  Zeniff,  as  they  did  the 
neighboring  lands  of  Lehi-Nephi  andShilom.  Shem- 
lon  was  so  near  the  city  of  Lehi-Nephi  that  it 
could  be  overlooked  from  the  high  tower  built 
near  the  temple  by  king  Noah.  It  was  in  this  land 
that  the  abduAion  of  the  daughters  of  the  Laman- 
ites, by  the  priests  of  Noah,  occurred,  which  led 
to  a  war  and  other  disastrous  consequences, 
and  later  produced  so  many  indiredl  results  in  the 
history  of  the  Lamanites.  At  the  time  of  the  mis- 
sion of  the  four  sons  of  Mosiah,  all  the  Lamanites 
of  this  land  were  converted  to  the  Lord. 

SHEMNON.  One  of  the  twelve  Nephite  Dis- 
ciples, called  and  chosen  by  Jesus  at  the  time  of 
His  visit  to  that  people  (A.  C.  34).  Shemnon  was 
present  near  the  temple  in  the  land  Bountiful  when 
Jesus  appeared,  and  was  baptized  by  Nephi  on  the 


Sherem.  329  Sherrizah. 

day  following.  He  is  not  again  mentioned  by 
name  in  the  sacred  record. 

SHEKEM.  The  first  of  the  many  Anti-Christs, 
who,  at  various  times,  appeared  among  the 
Nephites  and  endeavored  by  their  teachings  to 
lead  the  people  from  the  principles  of  the  Gospel. 
He  appeared  in  the  land  of  Nephi  towards  the 
close  of  the  life  oi Jacob,  the  son  of  Lehi,  and  open- 
ly taught  that  there  would  be  no  Christ  nor  neces- 
sity for  atonement.  He  was  a  type  of  many  who 
came  after,  for  no  matter  how  these  apostates 
differed  on  lesser  matters,  they  almost  universally 
denied  the  coming  of  the  Savior,  and  taught  that 
the  faith  of  the  Nephites  in  His  appearing  was  a 
snare  and  a  delusion.  Sherem  was  a  man  of  many 
words,  much  given  to  flattery,  and  w^ell  acquaint- 
ed with  the  language  of  his  nation,  and  withal 
very  zealous  in  spreading  his  pernicious  dodlrines, 
so  much  so  that  he  was  successful  in  misleading 
many.  Full  of  deceit  and  presumption,  he  contend- 
ed with  Jacob,  denied  the  Christ  and  blasphem- 
ously called  for  a  sign.  A  sign  was  given  him. 
On  Jacob's  praying  to  the  Lord,  Sherem  was  smit- 
ten to  the  earth  by  the  power  of  God,  and  though 
he  was  nourished  for  many  days  he  eventually 
died.  The  day  before  his  death  he  called  the  people 
together  and  acknowledged  his  impiety  and  in- 
iquit3^  He  confessed  Christ  and  told  the  people 
plainly  that  he  had  been  deceived  by  the  power  of 
the  devil,  and  had  lied  unto  God.  He  died  with 
the  terrible  thought  haunting  him  that  he  had 
committed  the  unpardonable  sin.  His  confession 
and  death  wrought  mightily  among  the  people; 
schism  ceased  for  the  time  being,  and  the  unity  of 
the  church  was  re-established. 

SHERRIZAH.  A  fortified  city  mentioned  by 
Mormon  in  his  second  epistle  to  his  son  Moroni. 
It  was  the  scene  of  horrible  brutalities  during  the 
great  war  between  the  Nephites  under  Mormon, 
and  the  Lamanites  commanded   bj^  king  Aaron. 


Sheum.  330  Shez. 

When  the  Lamanites  captured  the  tower  of  Sher- 
rizah  they  fed  their  female  prisoners  on  the  flesh 
of  their  husbands  and  fathers,  and  tortured  them 
by  withholding  sufficient  water  to  quench  their 
thirst.  The  contending  forces  also  carried  away 
all  the  provisions,  leaving  the  aged  and  the  children 
to  starve.  Mormon  says,  "the  sufferings  of  our 
women  and  our  children  upon  all  the  face  of  this 
land,  doth  exceed  anything;  yea,  tongue  cannot 
tell,  neither  can  it  be  written." 

SHEUM.  A  kind  of  grain.  This  name  is  sin- 
gularly like  the  Hebrew  shum  (garlic),  as  found 
in  Numbers,  11:  5.  Sheum  is  spoken  of  as  being 
planted  by  the  Nephites,  in  connedlion  with 
wheat,  barley  and  neas  in  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi 
(Mosiah,  9:  9). 

SHEZ.  A  king  of  the  Jaredites,  the  son  of 
Heth.  By  reason  of  the  great  wickedness  of  the 
Jaredites  in  the  days  of  Heth,  the  Lord  permitted 
a  severe  famine  to  come  upon  them,  by  which  the 
far  greater  portion  of  the  people  were  destroyed. 
Of  the  royal  family,  all  perished  except  Shez,  who, 
when  the  crops  again  began  to  grow,  commenced 
to  build  up  this  desolate  race.  He  was  a  virtuous 
man,  and  taught  his  people  righteousness,  and  the 
sun  of  prosperity  shone  upon  them.  His  peace, 
however,  was  marred  by  the  treason  of  his  son 
Shez,  who  rebelled  against  him.  This  son,  however, 
was  slain  by  a  robber,  and  peace  was  restored.  In 
the  later  years  of  his  lengthy  reign,  Shez  built 
many  cities,  and  the  rapidly  increasing  people 
spread  out  in  various  diredlions.  This  monarch 
lived  to  an  exceeding  old  age,  was  blessed  with 
numerous  children,  and  when  he  died  was  suc- 
ceeded on  the  throne  by  his  son  Riplakish,  who 
was  apparentlv  the  youngest  of  his  familv.  (Ether, 
10:1—4.) 

SHEZ,  A  Jaredite  prince,  the  eldest  son  of 
the  king  of  the  same  name.  He  rose  in  rebellion 
against    his    father,  but  while  thus  traitorously 


Shiblom,  or  Shiblon.   331  Shiblon. 

engaged,  a  robber  killed  him  in  the  endeavor  to 
obtain  some  of  his  riches,  which  the  Book  of  Ether 
informs  us  were  great.  (Ether,  10  :  3.) 

SHIBLOM  or  SHIBLON.  The  son  of  Com; 
one  of  the  later  monarchs  of  the  Jaredites.  In  his 
day,  because  of  the  iniquity  of  the  people,  many 
prophets  appeared  and  foretold  the  woes  that 
would  mark  the  extindlion  of  the  race.  Wars  and 
grievous  calamities  also  marked  the  reign  of  Shib- 
lom. First,  his  brother  inaugurated  a  bloody  civil 
war,  which  extended  throughout  all  the  land.  The 
wicked  combinations,  akin  to  the  Gadianton  rob- 
bers of  the  Nephites,  did  their  part  to  render  an- 
archy more  complete.  Famines  and  pestilence  fol- 
lowed rapine,  until  ''there  was  a  great destrudlion, 
such  an  one  as  never  had  been  known  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth."  In  the  extreme  of  their  misery 
and  degradation,  the  people  began  to  repent  and 
then  the  Lord  had  mercy  upon  them.  Finally, 
Shiblom  was  slain  and  Seth,  his  son,  was  brought 
into  captivity.  Of  Shiblom's  private  charadler  we 
have  no  record ;  but  his  rebellious  brother  issued 
the  infamous  mandate  that  all  the  prophets  who 
prophesied  of  the  destrudlion  of  the  people  should 
beput  to  death.    (Ether,  11 :  4—9.) 

SHIBLOM.  A  Nephite  general,  who  com- 
manded a  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  in  the  last 
great  struggle  between  the  Nephites  and  the  Laman- 
ites.  He,  with  all  his  command,  was  slain  in  the 
final  series  of  battles  in  the  land  Cumorah,  when 
the  Nephite  nation  was  annihilated.  (A.  C.  385.) 

SHIBLON,  THE  SON  OF  ALMA.  Shiblon 
"was  a  just  man,  and  he  did  walk  uprightly 
before  God,  and  he  did  observe  to  do  good  con- 
tinually, to  keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord 
his  God."  Such  is  the  high  encomium  passed  upon 
the  characfter  of  this  son  of  Alma,  by  the  sacred 
historian  of  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

Shiblon,  like  his  brothers  Helaman  andCorian- 
ton,  is  first  mentioned  in  the  sacred  pages  in  con- 


Shiblon.  332 

nedlion  with  the  Zoramite  mission.  Of  his  birth 
and  childhood  we  know  nothing,  but  he  was  yet 
in  his  youth  when  his  father  called  him  to  be  one 
of  the  missionaries  to  the  land  of  Antionum  (B. 
C.  75).  Like  the  rest  of  his  fellow-servants  of  the 
Lord,  he  received  the  Holy  Spirit  under  the  hands 
of  his  father,  and  then  went  forth  in  the  spirit 
and  might  of  his  calling  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  to 
the  misguided  and  stiff-necked  Zoramites.  He 
labored  in  their  midst  with  energy,  faith  and 
patience,  much  to  the  joy  of  Alma,  who,  in  the 
commandments  he  afterwards  gave  to  his  sons, 
commends  Shiblon's  course  in  the  following  lan- 
guage: "I  say  unto  you,  my  son,  that  I  have  had 
great  joy  in  thee  already  because  of  thy  faithful- 
ness, and  thy  diligence,  and  thy  patience,  and  thy 
long-suffering  among  the  people  of  the  Zoramites. 
For  I  know  that  thou  wast  in  bonds;  yea  and 
I  also  knew  that  thou  wast  stoned  for  the 
word's  sake;  and  thou  didst  bear  all  these  things 
in  patience,  because  the  Lord  was  with  thee ;  and 
now  thou  knowest  that  the  Lord  did  deliver  thee." 
These  words  of  Alma  are  the  only  intimation  that 
we  have  of  the  persecutions  and  sufferings  en- 
dured by  Shiblon  at  the  hands  of  the  followers  of 
Zoram.  The  life  of  Shiblon  appears  to  have  been 
almost  constantly  occupied  with  the  duties  of  his 
priesthood.  We  do  not  read  of  him  acting  in  any 
secular  capacity,  though  it  is  presumable  that 
like  his  father  and  the  rest  of  his  brethren,  he 
labored  with  his  hands  to  sustain  himself  during 
the  short  periods  that  intervened  between  his 
numerous  missions.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
he  was  intimately  associated  with  his  elder  brother, 
Helaman,  and  appears  to  have  stood  next  to  him 
in  authority  in  the  Church.  We  have  no  account 
of  him  taking  part  as  a  military  officer  (as  did 
Helaman),  in  the  long-continued  war  that  suc- 
ceeded the  apostasy  of  Amalickiah,  but  after  the 
war  was  ended  (B.  C.  60),  he  ably  seconded   Hela- 


Shiloah,  Waters  of.    333         Shilom,  Land  of. 

man's  efforts  to  re-establish  the  Church  and  set  it  in 
order.  At  Helaman's  death,  Shiblon  took  posses- 
sion of  the  "sacred  things"  (B.C.  57).  Theseheheld 
until  his  death,  which  happened  four  years  after- 
wards (B.  C.  53);  shortly  before  which  event  he 
conferred  them  upon  his  nephew,  Helaman,  the 
son  of  his  elder  brother. 

The  four  years  preceding  Shiblon's  death  are 
principally  noteworthy  for  the  commencement  of 
the  Nephite  migration  to  the  northern  continent. 
It  was  during  this  period  that  Hagoth  established 
his  ship-building  yards  on  the  borders  of  the  land 
Bountiful. 

In  the  year  that  Shiblon  died  the  Lamanites 
made  another  incursion  into  the  lands  of  the 
Nephites,  but  were  quickly  driven  back  to  their 
own  country  after  suffering  great  loss. 

Shiblon  must  have  died  a  comparatively  young 
man.  He  was  styled  a  youth  when  he  went  with 
his  father  to  labor  among  the  Zoramites,  and  died 
twenty-two  years  after. 

SHILOAH,  WATERS  OF.    A  stream  men>T  ^ 
tioned  in  a  quotation  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah.  /  ) 
It  is  said  to  be  the  Siloam  of  the  New  Testament./   . 
(IINephi,  18:6.)  —* 

SHILOM,  CITY  OF.  The  chief,  and,  pos- 
sibly, only  city  in  the  land  oi  Shilom.  It  was  built 
by  the  Nephites  before  the  exodus  under  Mosiah  I. 
When  that  migration  took  place,  the  Lamanites 
occupied  it,  but  let  it  fall  into  decay.  When  the 
Nephites,  under  Zeniff]  regained  possession  of  the 
land,  they  repaired  its  delapidated  walls  and  build- 
ings, and  king  Noah  greatly  enlarged  and  beau- 
tified it. 

SHILOM,  LAND  OF.  A  small  distria,  prob- 
ably a  valley,  contiguous  to  the  land  of  Lehi- 
Nephi,  and  apparenly  immediately  north  of  it.  It 
seems  to  have  been  on  the  diredl  road  from  Zara- 
hemla  to  Lehi-Nephi,  as  Zeniff  and  his  colony 
passed  through  it  when  they  came  from  ZarahQmla. 


Shim,  Hill.  334  Shimnilon. 

(about  B.  C.  200).  So  also  did  Ammon  and  his 
party  (B.  C.  122).  When  Limhi  and  his  people 
escaped  from  theLamanites,to  avoid  observation, 
they  took  a  circuitous  route  around  Shilom  into 
the  wilderness.  A  hill  to  the  north  of  Shilom  is 
mentioned  several  times,  and  it  appears  to  have 
been  a  very  conspicuous  feature  of  the  landscape. 
We  are  informed  that  it  was  a  place  of  resort  tor 
the  Nephites  before  they  left  that  region  under  the 
guidance  of  Mosiah  I.  Later,  king  Noah  built  a 
high  tower  thereon.  After  the  people  of  Limhi  had 
escaped  (B.  C.122),  the  Lamanites  reoccupied  this 
land ;  and  shortly  after,  Amnion  and  his  associate 
priests  were  made  teachers  of  the  people  residing 
therein.  In  the  days  of  the  mission  of  the  four 
sons  of  king  Mosiah  to  the  Lamanites,  all  the  in- 
habitants of  this  land  were  converted  to  the  Lord. 

SHIM,  HILL.  A  hill  in  the  land  Antvm  (in 
North  America),  w^herein  Ammaron  deposited  unto 
the  Lord  all  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Nephites. 
(A.  C.  321.)  He  instrudled  Mormon  to  go  to  this 
hill,  when  he  should  be  24  years  old,  take  out 
the  plates  of  Nephi  and  engrave  thereon  '*all  the 
things"  that  he  had  observed  concerning  the  Ne- 
phites. The  remainder  of  the  plates  he  was  to  leave 
where  they  were.  Mormon  carried  out  these  in- 
strudlions,  and  in  later  years  (A.  C.  376),  seeing 
that  the  Lamanites  were  about  to  overthrow  the 
land,  he  removed  all  the  records  which  Ammaron 
had  hidden,  to  a  safer  place — the  Hill  Cumorah.  A 
hill  Shim  is  also  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Ether, 
(Ether,  9  :  3),  as  lying  on  the  line  of  travel  of  the 
fugitive  king  Omer,  between  Moron  and  Ablom, 
which  we  are  of  the  opinion  is  the  same  hill  as 
that  in  which  the  records  of  the  Nephites  were 
hidden. 

SHIMNILON.  AXamanite  city  in  the  land  of 
Nephi;  its  locality  is  not  given.  Many  of  its  citi- 
zens were  converted  to  the  Lord  under  the  teach- 
ings   of  the  sons  of  Mosiah  (Alma,  23 :  12,  13), 


Shinar.  335  Shiz. 

laid  down  their  arms  and  migrated  to  the  land  of 
Jershon  (B.  C.  78). 

SHINA.K.  Supposed  to  be  the  name  by  which 
the  Hebrews  originally  designated  Lower  Mesopo- 
tamia. It  is  mentioned  but  once  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  (II  Nephi,  21 :  11),  in  a  quotation  from 
the  w^ritings  of  Isaiah. 

SHIZ.  The  last  of  the  great  military  com- 
manders opposed  to  Coriantumr  in  the  final -war 
between  the  Jaredite  fadlions.  Shiz  was  the 
brother  of  Lib,  another  mighty  warrior  who  did 
battle  with  Coriantumr.  In  one  of  the  many  en- 
gagements fought  during  this  series  of  wars,  Lib 
was  slain,  when  Shiz  took  command  of  his  forces 
and  routed  Coriantumr,  following  him  in  quick 
pursuit  from  the  plains  of  Agosh,  where  the  battle 
took  place,  to  the  sea  shore.  His  march  was  one 
of  horror  and  terror  to  the  people.  As  he  swiftly 
pressed  forward,  he  destroyed  everything  within 
his  reach,  burning  the  cities  and  slaying  their  in- 
habitants, sparing  neither  man,  woman  nor  child, 
as  he  swept  along,  and  a  cry  of  despair  went  up 
through  all  the  land,  ''Who  can  stand  before  the 
army  of  Shiz?  Behold,  he  sweepeth  the  earth  be- 
fore him!"  So  rapid  were  the  movements  of  the 
contending  armies,  that  the  slain  remained  un- 
buried,  and  thestench  from  their  bodies  filled  the  air 
with  pestilence.  Those  yet  alive  hastened  to  join 
one  or  the  other  of  the  contending  hosts,  either 
from  predilec?tion  or  because  they  were  forced  into 
the  ranks  Shiz  was  filled  with  the  spirit  of  mur- 
derous revenge.  He  swore  he  would  avenge  the 
blood  of  his  brother,  whom  Coriantumr  had  slain. 
When  he  caught  up  with  the  latter 's  armies,  he 
threw  himself  upon  them  with  all  the  energy  that 
hatred  inspires.  The  battle  lasted  three  days  and 
ended  in  the  repulse  of  Shiz,  whose  warriors  fled 
to  the  land  of  Corihor,  sweeping  off  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  lands  they  passed  through  who  would 
not  join  them. 


Shiz.  336 

In  the  valley  of  Corihor.  Coriantumr  again 
sought  battle.  He  challenged  Shiz,  from  the  hill 
Comnor,  by  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  Shiz 
was  in  no  temper  to  disregard  the  challenge. 
Twice  he  attacked  his  over-confident  foe,  with  the 
horde  of  men,  women  and  children  who  followed 
his  banner,  and  twice  he  was  repulsed.  On 
the  third  occasion  he  bore  so  heavily  upon  Corian- 
tumr that  the  latter  was  wounded  and  fainted 
from  the  loss  of  blood.  Their  leader  stricken,  his 
motley  following  of  old  and  young  fell  back;  but 
Shiz  was  in  no  condition  to  take  advantage  of  his 
vidlory.  Both  had  lost  so  heavily  that  they  were 
unable  to  renew  the  contest.  Two  millions  of 
men,  with  their  wives  and  children,  had  already 
fallen  in  this  inhuman,  relentless  war. 

At  this  point  the  heart  of  Coriantumr  was 
touched  w^ith  the  miseries  of  his  people,  and  he 
wrote  to  Shiz,  stating  that  he  would  surrender 
the  kingdom  if  the  lives  of  his  people  could  be 
spared.  Shiz's  brutal  soul  was  yet  untouched; 
he  replied  that  if  Coriantumr  would  give  himself 
up  so  that  he  (Shiz)  might  slay  him  with  his  own 
sword,  he  would  spare  the  lives  of  the  people.  To 
this  proposal  Coriantumr  would  not  accede. 
With  rekindled  anger  and  hatred  the  two  hosts 
prepared  for  renewed  hostilities.  Shiz  was  vic- 
torious in  the  first  battle,  and  the  enemy  retired 
to  the  neighborhood  of  the  great  lakes.  Another 
furious  conflidl  followed,  and  Coriantumr  tri- 
umphed, while  Shiz  retreated  southward,  to  a 
place  called  Ogath,  near  the  hill  Ramah.  Here  the 
two  commanders  gathered  their  hosts  for  the 
final  struggle.  All,  babe  and  grandsire,  men  and 
women,  had  to  join  one  side  or  the  other.  The 
spirit  of  bloody  vengeance  filled  every  heart.  Into 
the  trembling  hands  of  age  and  the  feeble  grasp  of 
infancy  alike,  were  thrust  the  sword  and  spear, 
while  shield  and  breastplate  defended  the  body 
strong  enough  to  bear  their  weights.    When   once 


337  Shule. 

begun,  the  dwindling  fight  kept  on  from  day  to 
day,  while  night  was  made  hideous  by  the  A^ells 
and  lamentations,  the  curses,  and  oaths  of  the 
survivors,  who  were  frenzied  with  anger,  even  as 
a  man  is  drunken  with  wine.  Thus  they  fought, 
struggled  and  fell,  until  one  night  there  remained 
of  all  the  race  but  fify-two  of  the  people  of  Cori- 
antumr  and  sixty -nine  of  the  followers  of  Shiz. 
But  they  rested  not.  The  next  evening,  thirty- 
two  of  the  adherents  of  Shiz  confronted 
twenty-seven  of  Coriantumr's.  Next  day  the 
battle  was  continued,  until  the  remnants  grew 
faint  from  exertion  and  loss  of  blood.  After  three 
hours'  desperate  fighting  the  men  of  Coriantumr 
attempted  to  flee,  but  Shiz  and  his  warriors  pre- 
vented them.  And  so  they  continued  until  the  two 
commanders  remained  alone  on  the  field,  all  their 
followers  having  being  slain,  and  Shiz  himself  had 
fainted.  Then  Coriantumr,  having  rested  to  gain 
suflScient  strength,  smote  off  the  head  of  Shiz,  who 
in  his  dying  throes  raised  himself  on  his  hands 
and  knees  as  if  to  renew  the  contest,  fell  over, 
struggled  for  breatli  and  died. 

S  HU  IjE.  One  of  the  early  kings  of  the  Jared- 
ites.  He  was  the  son  of  Kih,  born  to  him  in  his 
old  age,  while  he  was  in  captivity,  he  having  been 
deposed  by  an  elder  son  named  Corihor.  When 
Shule  grew  to  manhood  he  became  mighty  in 
judgment  and  bodily  strength,  and  being  angry 
with  his  brother  Corihor  for  rebelling  against 
their  father,  he  raised  an  army,  armed  them  with 
swords  made  by  himself,  gave  battle  to  his  brother 
at  a  city  named  Nehor,  defeated  the  latter 's  forces 
and  restored  their  father  to  the  throne.  Kib,  being 
very  aged,  placed  the  sovereign  power  in  the  hands 
of  Shule  who  reigned  in  righteousness  and  extend- 
ed the  borders  of  his  growing  people  in  all  direc- 
tions. Corihor,  repentant  of  his  former  treason, 
received  many  favors  from  Shule  and  was  placed 
in  high  power  in  the  nation,  the  trusts  whereof  he 


Shule.  338 

faithfully  performed.  But  as  he  had  rebelled  against 
his  father  in  his  early  days,  so  in  like  manner  one 
of  his  sons,  named  Noah,  rebelled  against  him  and 
against  the  king,  and  in  this  rebellion  drew  away 
all  his  brothers.  At  first,  Noah  was  successful. 
He  obtained  possession  of  the  land  of  the  Jared- 
ites'  first  inheritance,  called  by  them  Moron,  and 
reigned  king  in  that  region  of  Central  America, 
Again  he  attacked  Shule,  and  this  time  took  him 
prisoner,  carrying  him  captive  to  Moron,  with  the 
intention  of  putting  him  to  death.  But  before  he 
had  carried  out  his  bloodthirsty  design,  his 
cousins,  the  sons  of  Shule,  broke  into  his  house  and 
killed  the  usurper.  They  then  went  to  the  prison, 
where  their  father  was  held,  released  him  from  his 
confinement  and  replaced  him  on  the  throne  of 
that  part  of  the  country  not  retained  by  the  son 
of  Noah.  There  were  now^  two  kingdoms,  both  of 
which  were  growing,  while  that  one  under  the 
government  of  Shule  "did  prosper  exceedinglj^  and 
waxed  great."  After  a  time,  Cohor,  the  son  of 
Noah,  commenced  war  with  Shule,  in  w^hich  he 
was  deservedly  unsuccessful,  and  in  the  confli(?t 
that  ensued  he  was  slain.  His  son  Mmroc/,  know- 
ing the  unrighteousness  of  his  father's  cause,  re- 
stored Noah's  kingdom  to  Shule,  so  that  the  latter 
again,  as  in  the  beginning,  reigned  over  the  whole 
of  the  Jaredite  race.  For  this  acft  of  magnanimity 
Shule  bestowed  great  favors  upon  Ninirod,  who  did 
in  the  whole  kingdom  "according  to  his  desires." 
Though  the  people  were  highly  prospered  at 
this  time,  they  gave  way  to  idolatry,  and  grew 
hard  in  their  hearts.  This,  no  doubt,  w^as  intensi- 
fied by  the  bad  example  of  the  royal  family  and 
the  miseries  and  cruelties  of  the  wars  which  their 
quarrels  induced.  During  Shule's  days  the  Lord 
sent  many  prophets  to  the  Jaredites,  who  warned 
the  people  of  His  impending  judgments.  For  a 
time  these  prophets  were  rejected  and  reviled.  But 
Shule  made  a  law  that  the  prophets  should  have 


Shurr,  Valley  of.  339  Sidon,  River. 

free  access  wherever  they  wished  to  go,  and  fur- 
ther decreed  a  punishment  for  all  those  who  perse- 
cuted and  reviled  them.  The  preaching  of  these 
holy  men  eventually  brought  the  Jaredites  to 
repentance,  and  because  of  their  penitence  the 
Lord  spared  them  and  turned  away  His  judg- 
ments, and  the  people  prospered  again.  In  his  old 
age  Shule  begat  Orner,  who  succeeded  him  on  the 
throne.  Shule's  days  were  full  of  trouble  and  sorrow, 
but  he  reigned  in  righteousness,  was  faithful  to  the 
Lord,  and  executed  judgment  in  justice  towards 
his  subjedls.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  Shule  was 
a  contemporary  of  the  Patriarch  Abraham. 

SHURR,  VALLEY  OF.  A  valley  in  North 
America,  described  as  being  near  the  hill  Cornnor. 
It  was  here  that  three  desperate  battles  were 
fought  between  Shiz  and  Coriantumr,  towards  the 
close  of  the  final  war  which  resulted  in  the  utter 
destruAion  of  the  Jaredite  race. 

SIDOM.  This  place  is  only  mentioned  in  the 
15th  chap,  of  Alma.  When  the  persecuted  mem bere 
of  the  true  church  were  driven  out  of  Ammonihah 
by  its  vicious  citizens,  they  fled  to  Sidom  (B.  C. 
82),  it  being  apparently  not  far  distant  from  Am- 
monihah. 

SIDON,  RIVER.  The  most  important  river 
in  Nephite  history;  known  to-day  as  the  Magda- 
lena.  It  runs  northward  through  the  United  States 
of  Colombia  and  empties  into  the  Caribbean  Sea. 
In  the  days  of  the  Nephites  it  formed  an  important 
fa(?tor  in  their  civilization,  as  many  of  their  largest 
cities  were  built  on  its  banks,  and  its  valleys  were 
the  most  densely  populated  of  any  part  of  the 
country.  Near  its  head  waters  was  Mantis  the 
chief  city  of  the  south,  and  further  north  were 
Gideon  and  Zarahemla.  It  was  also  the  grand 
trunk  road  to  the  land  of  Nephi,  and  along  its 
banks  poured  the  hosts  of  the  dark-skinned  Laman- 
ites  when  they  forced  their  way  into  the  land  of 
Zarahemla.    Among  the  most  important  events 


Sinai.  340  Siron,  Land  of. 

that    occurred    in    its    immediate    neighborhood 
were: 

The  Amlicites  defeated  at  the  hill  Amnihu, 
B.  C.  87. 

Two  invading  armies  of  the  Lamanites  de- 
feated, one  on  its  west  bank,  the  other  on  the 
east,  B.  C.  87. 

The  Lamanites  defeated  at  the  hill  Riplah, 
B.  C.  74. 

Manti  captured  by  the  Lamanites,  (about) 
B.  C.  68. 

Manti  reoccupied  by  the  Nephites,  B.  C.  63. 

The  Lamanites  invade  Zarahemla,  capture  the 
capital  and  advance  northward,  but  are  finally 
driven  back,  B.  C.  51. 

The  Lamanites  again  invade  Zarahemla,  B.C.  35. 
The  Lamanites  obtain  possession  of  the  whole 
of  South  America,  B.  C.  33. 

The  Lamanites,  being  converted,  restore  to  the 
Nephites  Zarahemla  and  the  lands  thevhad  wrest- 
ed from  them,  B.  C.  30, 

The  Nephites,  under  Lachoneus,  all  gather  to 
the  lands  of  Zarahemla  and  Bountiful,  A.  C.  17. 

The  Nephites  return  to  their  homes  on  both 
continents,  A.  C.  26, 

Zarahemla  and  other  cities  destroyed  during 
the  great  storms  and  earthquakes  that  attended 
the  crucifixion  of  the  Redeemer,  A.  C.  34. 

SINAI.  The  mountain  where  the  Lord  deliv- 
ered unto  Moses  the  Ten  Commandments.  It  is 
named  twice  in  the  Book  of  Mormon:  (1)  Li  Abin- 
adi's  reproof  of  the  apostate  priests  of  kingAToa/z. 
(Mosiah,  12:  33).  (2)  In  the  statement  that  Abin- 
adi's  face  shone  with  exceeding  lustre  as  Moses^ 
did  while  in  the  mount  of  Sinai.  (Mosiah,  13  :  5.) 

SINIM.  A  land,  supposed  by  some  to  be  the 
southern  part  of  China.  It  is  mentioned  but  once 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  a  quotation  from  the 
writings  of  Isaiah.  (I  Nephi,  21:  12.) 

SIRON,  LAND  OF.  The  home  of  Isabel,  the 


Sion.  341  Tabael,  Son  of. 

harlot.    Its  meaning  is  the  land  of  the  deserters 
or  apostates.    It  was  situated  at  the  extreme  edge 
of  the  Nephite  possessions,  and  on  the  borders  of 
the  Lamanites,   beyond,   that  is  south  or  south- 
east of  Ant'ionum,  the  headquarters  of  the  Zoram- 
ites.    In  this  remote  land,  far  from   the    Nephite 
capital,  outside  the  reach  of  the  rigors  of  the  law 
of  Moses,  the  enticing  Isabel  could  carry  on  her 
Yile  calling  with  the  greatest  safety  and  impunity. 
_^^1— .      SION.     This  name  appears  once  in  the  Book 
,    ^   of  Mormon,  in   a  quotation  from  the  writings  of 
juc^    'Isaiah.  (II  Nephi,  22:  6.)  (SeeZion.) 
^i^i^       SODOM.     The    city  destroyed   by  fire  from 
heaven.   It  is  named  twice  in  the  Book  of  Mormon 
in  quotations  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah  (II  Nephi, 
13:  9;  23:  19). 

SOLOMON.  The  name  of  this  great  king  is 
mentioned  seven  times  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
Three  times  in  connexion  with  the  temple  he  built 
in  Jerusalem.  (II  Nephi,  5:  16.)  Three  times  in 
Jacob's  address  to  the  Nephites  regarding  polyg- 
amy, etc.  (Jacob,  1.15;  2 :  23,  24.)  And  once  by 
the  Redeemer  in  the  well-known  passage  in  which 
he  compares  the  lilies  of  the  field  with  the  glorv  of 
Solomon.  (Ill  Nephi,  13  :  29.) 

-  STONES,  PRECIOUS.  The  precious  stones 
named  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  are  agates,  car- 
buncles, sapphires  and  pearls.  All,  except  the  last 
named,  in  quotations  from  the  Bible. 
"*  SYRIA.  This  country  is  named  five  times  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon  (II  Nephi,  17:  1—8),  always 
in  quotations  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah. 

SYRIANS.  The  people  of  Syria.  They  are 
mentioned  but  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (II 
Nephi,   19:   12),   in  a  quotation  from  Isaiah. 

TABAEL,  SON  OF.  A  warrior  who  is  not 
identified.  He  lived  in  the  days  of  Ahaz,  king  of 
Judah.  His  name  only  appears  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  in  a  quotation  fiom  the  writings  of 
Isaiah.  (II  Nephi,  17:6). 


Tarshish.  342  Teancum. 

TARSHISH.  A  country  or  citv  mentioned  in 
the  Bible,  whose  locality  is  undetermined.  It  is 
named  once  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  (II  Nephi,  12: 
16),  in  a  quotation  from  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah. 

TEANCUM.  One  of  the  bravest,  most  dis- 
interested and  most  illustrious  soldiers  who  served 
the  Nephite  Commonwealth.  Of  his  life  we  are 
told  nothing  until  he  is  presented  to  us  as  one  of 
Moroni^ s  lieutenants. 

Teancum  appears  to  have  had  command  of 
the  Nephite  army  of  the  north,  and  to  have  had 
committed  to  him  the  defense  of  the  Land  Bounti- 
ful and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  His  first  exploit 
to  which  our  attention  is  drawn  was  the  defeat  of 
the  dissatisfied  people  of  the  hot-headed  Morian- 
toiiy  who,  having  unjustly  quarreled  with  their 
neighbors,  the  people  of  the  City  of  Lehi,  and 
being  apparently  aware  of  the  unrighteousness  of 
their  cause,  determined  to  migrate  to  the  land 
northward,  and  there  establish  an  independent 
government.  Such  a  movement  being  evidently 
dangerous  to  the  peace  and  stability  of  the  Re- 
public, Moroni  determined  to  prevent  the  accom- 
plishment of  their  scheme.  He  dispatched  Teancum 
at  the  head  of  a  body  of  troops  to  head  them  off. 
This  the  gallant  officer  succeeded  in  doing,  but 
not  until  they  had  reached  the  Isthmus,  where  a 
stubbornly-fought  battle  ensued ,  in  which  Teancum 
slew  Morianton  with  his  own  hand,  and  compelled 
the  surrender  of  his  followers.  (B.  C.  68.)  The 
prisoners  were  brought  back,  the  grievances  of  the 
two  peoples  were  investigated,  a  union  between 
them  brought  about,  and  both  were  restored  to 
their  own  lands. 

In  the  following  year  (B.  C.  67),  Amalickiah, 
the  apostate  Nephite  who  reigned  over  the  Laman- 
ite^  commenced  his  devastating  invasion  of  the 
Atlantic  provinces  of  the  Nephites.  Commencing 
at  Moroni,  on  the  extreme  southeast,  he  gradually 
advanced  northward,  capturing  and  garrisoning 


343  Teancum. 

all  the  Nephite  cities  along  the  coast,  until  to- 
ward the  close  of  the  year,  he  reached  the  borders 
of  the  land  Bountiful,  driving  the  forces  of  the 
Republic  before  him.  At  this  point  he  was  met  by 
Teancum  and  a  corps  of  veterans  renowned  for 
their  courage,  skill  and  discipline.  The  Lamanite 
leader  endeavored  to  force  his  way  to  the  Isthmus 
with  the  intention  of  occupying  the  northern  con- . 
tinent.  In  this  he  was  foiled,  for  the  trained  valor 
of  Teancum's  warriors  was  too  much  for  that  of 
Amalickiah's  half-savage  hordes.  All  day  the 
fight  lasted,  and  at  night  the  worn-out  soldiery 
camped  in  close  proximity,  the  Lamanites  on  the 
sea  beach,  and  the  Nephites  on  the  borders  of  the 
land  Bountiful. 

When  night  had  closed  and  all  was  still,  Tean- 
cum, accompanied  by  one  soldier,  stole  out  of  his 
own  camp  into  that  of  the  enemy.  He  sought  the 
tent  of  Amalickiah,  and  when  he  found  it  he  slew 
the  Lamanite  king  with  his  javelin,  then  quickly 
returning,  he  aroused  his  troops  and  kept  them  on 
the  alert  all  night,  fearing  that  when  the  foe  found 
they  had  lost  their  chief  they  would  make  a  sudden 
attack  on  the  Nephites;  but  it  did  not  so  happen. 
Amalickiah's  death  was  not  discovered  until  the 
morning,  and  then  his  followers  hastily  retreated 
to  Mulek,  where  they  shut  themselves  up.  Each 
commander  now  felt  only  sufficiently  strong  to  adl 
on  the  defensive,  and  Teancum  employed  his  sol- 
diery in  vigorously  strengthening  the  fortifications 
of  the  land  Bountiful  and  the  Isthmus  which 
formed  the  natural  northern  boundary  of  that 
land.  Moroni  likewise  desired  him  to  harrass  and 
scourge  the  enemy  whenever  opportunity  offered, 
but  they  kept  too  closely  within  their  fortifica- 
tions for  much  to  be  done  in  that  way.  This  state 
of  mutual  watching,  without  any  aggressive 
movements,  continued  for  some  time.  Once  Tean- 
cum, by  Moroni's  direcftion,  made  reconnoissance 
in    force    towards    Mnlek^  but    he  found  it  too 


Teancum.  344 

strongly  fortified  to  warrant  an  attempt  to  cap- 
ture it  by  assault.  He  therefore  retired  to  Bounti- 
ful and  awaited  Moroni's  arrival,  that  officer  being 
now  condudling  operations  in  the  southwest, 
Moroni  did  not  rejoin  Teancum  until  the  end  of  the 
year  B.  C.  65. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  next  year  a 
grand  council  of  war  was  held  at  the  Nephite 
headquarters.  Efforts  had  been  made  to  induce 
the  Lamanites  to  come  out  and  fight  on  the  open 
plains  between  Mulek  and  Bountiful,  but  their 
leaders  very  prudently  declined.  It  was  therefore 
decided  to  make  an  effort  to  draw  them  out  b3^ 
stratagem.  The  Nephite  army  was  divided  into 
three  divisions,  commanded  by  Moroni,  Lehi  and 
Teancum  respedlively.  Teancum  advanced  with  a 
small  body  of  men  near  to  the  walls  of  Mulek. 
The  Lamanites,  noticing  his  weakness,  sallied 
forth  to  capture  him.  He  retreated  rapidly  north- 
ward along  the  sea  beach,  in  well-feigned  trepida- 
tion. The  enemy  followed  in -hot  pursuit.  When 
they  neared  Bountiful,  Lehi  and  his  men  marched 
out,  covered  the  retreat,  and  confronted  the  now 
fatigued  legions  of  Laman.  Jacob,  their  leader, 
ordered  a  retreat  to  Mulek;  Lehi  leisurely  ad- 
vanced, till  they  reached  the  place  where  Moroni's 
command  blockaded  the  road,  then  both  Nephite 
commanders  met  the  Lamanites  in  the  shock  of 
battle,  front  and  rear.  The  Lamanites  were 
disastrously  defeated,  Jacob  was  killed  and  Mulek 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Nephites.  This  was  the 
turning  point  in  the  war,  for  from  this  time  the 
patriots  gradually  regained  their  lost  cities. 

We  have  no  details  of  the  services  of  Teancum 
in  the  brilliant  campaign  that  followed,  during 
which  the  tide  of  vdliory  rolled  resistlessly  down 
the  Atlantic  shore.  We  will  therefore  simply  say 
that  at  last  the  soldiers  of  Ammoron  were  driven 
out  of  every  Nephite  city  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard, 
except  the  outlying  one,  called  Moroni,  where  the 


Teancum,  City  of.       345  Teomer. 

whole  of  the  invading  host  was  massed  for  a  final 
desperate  stand,  and  around  which  Moroni,  with 
hurried  and  lengthened  marches,  had  concentrated 
his  warriors. 

It  was  the  night  before  an  expe(5led  decisive 
battle,  and  the  Nephite  officers  and  soldiery  were 
too  worn  out  to  either  devise  stratagems  or  exe- 
cute them.  Teancum  alone  was  in  a  condition  of 
unrest.  He  remembered  with  intense  bitterness  all 
the  bloodshed,  woes,  hardships,  famine,  etc.,  that 
had  been  brought  about  in  this  great  and  lasting 
war  between  the  two  races,  which  he  rightly 
attributed  to  the  infamous  ambition  of  Amalic- 
kiah  and  Ammoron.  In  his  anger  he  stole  forth 
into  the  enemy's  camp,  let  himself  over  the  walls 
of  the  city,  sought  out  the  king's  tent,  and  when 
he  had  found  the  object  of  his  search,  he  cast  a 
javelin  at  him,  which  pierced  him  near  the  heart; 
but,  unlike  Amalickiah,  Awnioron' s  death  was  not 
instantaneous,  he  had  time  to  awaken  his  servant 
before  he  expired.  The  alarm  was  given,  the 
guards  started  in  pursuit,  Teancum  was  over- 
taken, caught  and  slain.  On  the  morrow,  Moroni 
attacked  the  Lamanites,  defeated  them  with  great 
slaughter,  captured  the  city,  and  drove  them 
entirely  out  of  Nephite  territory.  (B.  G.  61.) 

TEANCUM,  CITY  OF.  A  city  mentioned 
only  in  connedlion  with  the  final  struggle  be- 
tween the  Nephites  and  Lamanites  (Mormon,  4: 
3 — 14.)  It  lay  near  the  sea  (probably  the  Pacific 
Ocean),  a  little  north  of  the  city  of  Desolation. 
When  the  Lamanites  captured  Desolation  (A.  C. 
363)  the  remnants  of  the  Nephites  fled  to  Tean- 
cum. The  next  year  the  Lamanites  attacked  the 
city  but  were  repulsed.  They  came  against  it  again 
in  A.  C.  366-7  and  drove  the  Nephites  out,  taking 
many  women  and  children  prisoners,  whom  they 
sacrificed  to  their  idol  gods. 

TEOMEK.  A  prominent  Nephite  military  of- 
ficer in  the  jdays  of  the  Judges.   In  the  war  brought 


Timothy.  346 

on  by  the  treason  and  ambition  of  Amalickiah,  he 
served  under  Helaman  in  the  army  of  the  south- 
west. Teomer  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  siege 
and  recapture  of  the  city  of  Manti  (B.  C.  63),  at 
which  time  he  had  command  of  one  of  the  divisions 
of  the  Nephite  army.  When  the  Lamanites  within 
the  city,  fearing  that  the  besieging  Nephite  army 
would  cut  them  off  from  their  supplies,  made  a 
sortie  and  endeavored  to  drive  them  away,  the 
main  body  of  Helaman's  troops  retreated,  while 
Gid  and  his  men,  and  Teomer  with  his  command, 
who  were  hid  in  the  wilderness,  fell  in  the  Laman- 
ite  rear,  cut  off  communication  between  the  ad- 
vancing army  and  the  city,  and  then  unexpectedly 
fell  on  the  very  small  guard  which  the  Lamanite 
commander  had  incautiously  left  to  take  care  of 
Manti.  The  guard  was  easily  overpowered,  and 
Gid  and  Teomer  obtained  and  retained  possession 
of  the  city;  during  which  time  the  main  body  of 
the  Lamanites  were  out-generaled  by  Helaman, 
who  led  them  afar  off  into  the  wilderness,  and  then 
by  a  rapid  counter  march,  during  the  night,  reached 
Manti  before  them, 

TIMOTHY.  It  is  but  little  we  are  told 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  of  the  life  or  labors  of  this 
devoted  servant  of  the  Lord,  this  uncompromising 
preacher  of  righteousness.  His  days,  before  the 
coming  of  the  Savior,  were  spent  in  proclaiming 
the  saving  truths  of  the  Gospel,  in  declaring  unto 
the  Nephites  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  was  at 
hand,  and  in  rebuking  their  constantly  increasing 
depravit3^  His  words  cut  like  a  two-edged  sword, 
they  laid  bare  the  iniquities  of  their  corrupt  rulers 
and  unjust  judges,  their  seditious  lawyers  and  idol- 
atrous priests,  as  well  as  of  the  degraded  rabble; 
he  spared  none  whose  deeds  were  evil.  Angered 
at  the  unwelcome  recital  of  their  abounding  crimes, 
the  vile  populace  stoned  him  till  he  died,  that  they 
might  no  longer  hear  the  sound  of  his  reproving 
voice.  But  his  work  on  earth  was  not  vet  finished  ; 


347  Timothy. 

his  brother  Nephi,  with  the  authority  of  the  holy 
priesthood  which  he  held,  came  to  where  the  mar- 
tyr lay,  and  in  the  power  of  Jesus'  name,  he  raised 
Timothy  from  the  dead.  (A.  C.  31.) 

After  the  tribulations  had  ceased  that  marked 
the  sacrifice  of  the  Lord  of  life  and  glorj-,  Nephi 
and  Timothy,  with  manj^  others,  assembled  at  the 
Temple  that  was  in  the  land  Bountiful.  There  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  appeared  and  ministered  to 
them.  He  called  Nephi  to  him,  then  eleven  others, 
and  gave  them  authority  to  baptize  the  people. 
Of  these  twelve,  Timothy  w^as  one,  and  is  men- 
tioned next  in  order  to  his  brother  Nephi  in  the  list 
given  b^^  the  inspired  historian. 

After  Jesus  had  chosen  the  Twelve,  He  com- 
menced to  teach  the  people  the  principles  of  the 
fulness  of  the  Gospel.  So  He  continued  day  by 
day  until  all  was  revealed,  either  to  the  multitude 
or  to  the  Twelve,  that  was  necessary  for  the  eter- 
nal salvation  of  the  obedient. 

After  the  final  departure  of  Jesus,  the  Disciples 
went  forth  in  the  midst  of  the  people  in  the  lands 
that  had  not  been  blessed  with  the  personal  visit  of 
the  Savior,  to  them  they  declared  the  glad  message 
of  life  eternal ;  in  the  name  of  Jesus  they  baptized 
them,  and  by  His  authority  they  conferred  the 
Holy  Ghost.  So  abundantly  and  so  glorioush^  did 
the  power  of  God  rest  with  these  servants  of  God, 
that  they  raised'  the  dead,  healed  the  vsick,  gave 
sight  to  the  eyes  of  the  blind  and  strength  to  the 
limbs  of  the  lame;  the  deaf  heard,  the  dumb  spake, 
and  all  manner  of  miracles  were  performed,  and 
all  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Two  years  after  His  as- 
cension, every  part  of  the  vast  continent,  where 
Nephite  or  Lamanite  dwelt,  had  heard  the  mes- 
sage, and  so  abundant  was  the  Disciples'  success, 
that  every  soul  was  converted  unto  the  Lord,  and 
in  jtheir  integrity  to  God  they  never  faltered. 

Timothy  is  not  again  mentioned  by  name  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon. 


Trees.  348  Uzziah. 

I  TREES.  The  trees  mentioned  in  the  Book  of 
/  Mormon  are  the  cedar,  fir,  oak,  olive,  sycamore 
I  and  teil.  The  vine  is  also  named. 
^^  TUBALOTH.  A  king  of  the  Lamanites  who 
waged  war  against  the  Nephites  in  the  days  of  the 
Judges.  He  was  of  Nephite  extradlion  being  the 
son  of  Ammoron,  the  brother  of  Amalickiah,  and 
a  descendant  of  Zoram  the  servant  of  Laban,  His 
father  was  killed  by  the  Nephite  general  Teancum 
(B.  C.  61),  and  it  is  probable  that  he  succeeded  his 
father  on  the  throne,  though  he  is  not  mentioned 
by  name  until  ten  years  afterwards  (B.  C.  51). 
The  death  of  Ammoron  ended  one  of  the  most 
disastrous  and  long-continued  wars  that  had 
ever  devastated  the  lands  of  the  Nephites,  and 
appears  to  have  been  terminated  by  the  Lamanites 
from  sheer  exhaustion.  It  was  not  until  eight  years 
afterwards  that  they  again  invaded  the  territory 
of  their  traditional  enemies,  when  they  were  driven 
back  to  their  own  lands  with  great  loss.  Two 
years  later,  Tubaloth  gathered  and  equipped  an 
immense  army,  which  he  placed  under  a  general 
named  Coriantumr,  who,  disregarding  the  old  tac- 
tics, marched  directly  to  the  city  of  Zarahemla, 
which  he  surprised  and  captured,  and  then  con- 
tinued his  march  northward  towards  the  land 
Bountiful.  But  he  was  out-generaled  and  utterly 
defeated  by  the  Nephites,  he  himself  being  slain ; 
the  remnants  of  his  army  were  allowed  by  Moro- 
nihah  to  return  to  their  own  land.  So  disastrous 
was  this  campaign,  that  for  sixteen  years  Nephite 
soil  was  free  from  the  tread  of  the  invader.  We 
have  no  means  of  telling  if  Tubaloth  was  still  king 
when  the  Lamanites  recommenced  hostilities  in 
B.  C.  35. 

UKIAH.    A  high  priest  in  the  reign  of  Ahaz. 

He  is  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  a  quo-  ^ 

tation  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah  (IINephi,  18:  2). 

UZZIAH.  A  wise  and  righteous  kingof  Judah 

(B.   C.   809-757?)     He  is  mentioned  twice  in  the 


Zarahemla.  349    Zarahemla,  City  of. 

Book  of  Mormon  (II  Nephi,  16:  1;  17:  1),  in  con- 
necftion  with  the  writings  of  Isaiah. 

ZAKAHEMLA.  When  Mosiah  I  led  the 
more  righteous  portion  of  the  Nephites  north- 
ward from  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi.  (About  B.  C. 
200),  he  found  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river 
Sidon  a  city  inhabited  by  a  partly  civilized  and 
irreligious  people,  whose  language  he  could  not 
understand.  Thej^  were  ruled  by  a  chief  or  king 
named  Zarahemla.  When  the  two  races  began  to 
understand  each  other  it  was  found  that  the 
people  of  Zarahemla  were  the  descendants  of  a 
colony  which  was  led  by  the  Lord  out  of  Jerusa- 
lem in  the  year  when  that  city  was  destroyed  by 
the  king  of  Babylon  (B.  C.  589).  After  wander- 
ing in  the  wilderness  they  were  brought  across 
the  great  waters  and  landed  in  the  southern 
portion  of  the  North  American  continent.  In 
after  years  they  migrated  southward  to  the  place 
where  they  were  found  by  Mosiah.  Among  the 
members  of  the  original  colony  was  Mulek,  the 
youngest  son  of  king  Zedekiah ;  and  it  is  presum- 
able that  most  of  them  were  of  the  house  of 
Judah. 

Of  the  history  of  the  colony  for  nearly  four 
hundred  years  we  know  next  to  nothing.  It  is 
summed  up  in  the  few  following  words:  'And  at 
the  time  that  Mosiah  discovered  them,  they  had 
become  exceedingly  numerous.  Nevertheless,  they 
had  had  many  wars  and  serious  contentions,  and 
had  fallen  by  the  sword  from  time  to  time;  and 
their  language  had  become  corrupted;  and  they 
had  brought  no  records  with  them  ;  and  they 
denied  the  being  of  their  Creator;  and  Mosiah, 
nor  the  people  of  Mosiah,  could  understand  them." 
(Omni,  1:17.  ) 

ZARAHEMLA,  CITY  OF.  The  capital  of 
the  Nephite  nation,  from  about  200  years  B.  C.  to 
A.  C.  30,  when  the  Commonwealth  was  disrupted 
and  the  people  divided  into  tribes.    This  citj^  was 


Zarahemla,  Land  of.  350 

situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sidon  river,  and 
was  originally  built  by  the  descendants  of  the 
people  of  Mulek,  who  left  Jerusalem,  B.  C.  589. 
Zarahemla  appears  to  have  been  their  leader  at 
the  time  the  Nephites,  led  by  Mosiah  I,  discovered 
them,  and  as  the  city  was  named  after  him  it  is 
probable  that  it  had  not  been  built  long  before  the 
arrival  of  the  latter  people.  After  the  advent  of 
the  Nephites,  the  two  peoples  united  in  one 
nation,  and  this  city  became  the  seat  of  their 
government,  the  residence  of  their  chief  judges 
and  high  priests,  and  the  centre  of  their  civiliza- 
tion. In  it  was  also  built  a  temple  to  the  God  of 
Israel.  During  the  days  of  the  Judges,  nearly  every 
event  of  importance  to  the  whole  nation  took 
place  or  originated  in  this  city.  It  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  royalists  or  '^  king-men  ^\  whose 
attempts  to  restore  a  monarchy  led  to  so  many 
contentions  and  so  much  sorrow,  and  so  fre- 
quently ended  in  bloodshed.  It  was  captured  by 
the  Lamanites  in  B.  C.  51,  and  again  in  B.  C.  35 
and  was  then  held  by  uhem  until  B.C.  30. 

In  B.  C.  6,  Samuel,  the  Lamanke,  appeared 
upon  the  walls  of  Zarahemla.,  and  prophesied  of 
many  wondrous  events  yet  in  the  future.  Among 
them  he  foretold  its  destrudlion  by  fire  from 
heaven,  in  consequence  of  the  great  wickedness  of 
the  major  portion  of  its  inhabitants.  (Hela- 
man,  13:12- 14. )  In  accordance  with  this  proph- 
ecy Zarahemla  was  destroyed  during  the  great  con- 
vulsions of  nature  that  attended  the  sacrifice  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  It  was  afterwards  rebuilt,  but 
we  are  not  informed  if  it  was  again  recognized  as 
the  chief  city  of  the  nation ,  though  from  its  ad- 
mirable position  and  past  associations,  it  is  quite 
probable  that  it  was. 

ZAKAHEMLA,  LAIVD  OF.  As  there  were 
two  lands  of  Nephi,  the  greater  and  the  lesser,  so, 
for  exadlly  the  same  reasons,  there  were  two  lands 
of  Zarahemla;    the  one  occupying  the  whole  of 


351  Zarahemla,  Land  of. 

South  America,  from  the  great  wilderness,  which 
formed  its  southern  border,  northward  to  the 
land  Bountiful;  the  other,  the  distridl  immediately 
surrounding  the  capital  cit\%  which  bore  the  same 
name. 

That  there  was  a  Zarahemla  within  Zarahemla 
is  shown  by  various  passages  in  which  persons  are 
spoken  of  as  journeying  to  the  land  of  Zarahemla, 
when  they  were  already  within  the  borders  of  the 
greater  land  of  that  name.  For  instance,  Minon, 
on  the  river  Sidon,  is  said  to  have  been  situated 
above  the  land  of  Zarahemla  (Alma  2:  24); 
again,  Alma  took  Amulek  and  came  over  to  the 
land  of  Zarahemla  from  Sidom  ( Alma,  15;  18). 
While  in  many  other  places,  notably  where  the 
boundaries  of  the  possessions  of  the  Nephites  are 
given,  the  name  Zarahemla  is  applied  to  the  whole 
of  the  lands  of  that  people,  even  sometimes  includ- 
ing Bountiful,  which  is  generall^^  spoken  of 
separately. 

In  the  days  of  the  first  Mosiah  and  his  son, 
king  Benjamin,  the  greater  portion  of  the  Nephites 
appear  to  have  been  located  in  and  immediately 
around  the  city  of  Zarahemla.  King  Benjamin, 
when  about  to  resign  the  royal  authority  into  the 
hands  of  his  son  Mosiah,  commanded  him  to 
gather  his  people  together,  for,  he  adds,  on  the 
morrow  I  shall  proclaim  unto  this  my  people  out 
of  mine  own  mouth,  that  thou  art  a  king  and  a 
ruler  over  this  people  (Mosiah,  1:  10).  The  proc- 
lamation was  sent  forth  and  the  people  were 
gathered  in  an  unnumbered  host;  a  thing  that 
could  not  have  been  done  in  so  short  a  time  had 
their  habitations  been  widely  scattered  over  an 
extended  territory. 

In  the  reign  of  the  younger  Mosiah,  the  people 
spread  out  in  all  directions,  and  colonies  were 
planted  in  distant  regions.  This  vigorous  policy 
was  continued,  only  on  a  much  larger  scale,  during 
the  days  of  the  Judges.  We  suggest  that  the  lands 


Zebulun.  352  Zedekiah. 

or  cities  included  within  the  borders  of  the  land  of 
Zarahemla,  in  the  days  of  the  Judges,  were: 

In  the  extreme  north,  the  land  of  Bountiful, 
which  extended  southward  from  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  On  its  southern  frontier  lay  the  land  of 
Jershon. 

On  the  river  Sidon:  Zarahemla,  Minon,  Gideon 
and  Manti, 

In  the  interior,  eastward  of  the  Sidon :  An- 
tionum,  Siron,  and  Nephihnh. 

On  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  Car- 
ibbean Sea :  Mulek,  Morianton,  Lehi,  Omner,  Gid, 
Aaron  and  Moroni. 

In  the  interior  west  of  the  Sidon :  Melek, 
Aaron,  Noah,  Ammonihah  and  Sidom, 

Between  the  upper  waters  of  the  Sidon  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean :  Cumeni,  Antiparah,  Judea  and 
Zeezrom. 

ZEBULUN.  One  of  the  Twelve  Tribes  of 
Israel.  Reference  is  made  to  the  land  of  Zebulun 
(II  Nephi,  19:  1  ),  in  a  quotation  from  the  writ- 
ings of  Isaiah.     'fVI 

ZECHARIAH.  An  Israelite  of  whom 
nothing  personallj^  is  known.  His  name  is  men- 
tioned (II  Nephi,  18:2).  in  a  quotation  from  the 
writings  of  Isaiah,  where  he  is  spoken  of  as  a 
** faithful  witness  to  record." 

ZEDEKIAH.  One  of  the  twelve  Disciples 
called  and  chosen  by  Jesus  to  minister  to  the 
Nephites  at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  that  people 
(A.  C.  34).  Zedekiah  was  present  near  the  temple 
in  the  land  Bountiful,  when  Jesus  appeared,  arid 
was  baptized  by  Nephi  on  the  day  following. 
He  is  not  mentioned  again  in  the  sacred  record. 

ZEDEKIAH.  The  last  king  of  Judah.  In 
the  first  year  of  his  reign,  Lehi  and  his  family  left 
Jerusalem.  Zedekiah 's  name  occurs  eight  times  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  five  of  which  are  connedled 
with  Lehi's  departure,  the  other  three  relate  to 
the  monarch's  posterity.    The  killing  of  the  sons 


353  Zeezrom. 

of  Zedekiah  by  the  king  of  Babylon  is  spoken  of 
in  Helaman,  8:  21. 

ZEEZKOM.  A  distinguished  lawyer  in  the 
corrupt  city  of  Ammonihah,  at  the  time  that 
Alma  and  Amulek  ministered  to  its  unrepentant 
people  (B.  C.  82).  Zeezrom  kd  the  opposition  to 
the  servants  of  God,  and  by  his  subtlety,  ingenu- 
ity and  boldness  endeavored  to  make  it  appear 
that  they  had  contradidled  themselves  in  their 
preaching,  and  had  also  spoken  disrespedlfully  of 
their  country's  laws.  Atlast,  however,  he  began  to 
feel  the  power  of  God,  and  when  he  did  so  he  was 
not  so  hardened  that  he  was  not  willing  to 
acknowledge  it.  At  this,  his  former  admirers 
turned  against  him,  and  having  reviled  and  mal- 
treated him,  drove  him  out  of  the  city  wnth  other 
converts.  The  fugitives  fled  to  a  neighboring  city, 
called  Sidom ,  w^here  Zeezro  m ,  overwhelmed  with  the 
realization  of  his  iniquities,  fell  sick  of  a  fever.  At 
last,  the  glad  tidings  reached  his  ears  that  Alma 
and  Amulek  were  safe,  for  he  had  feared  that 
through  his  iniquities  they  had  been  slain.  No 
sooner  did  they  reach  Sidom  than  he  sent  for 
them,  for  his  heart  began  to  take  courage.  When 
they  entered  his  presence,  he  imploringly  stretched 
forth  his  hands  and  besought  them  to  heal  him. 
Alma  questioned  him  regarding  his  faith  in  Christ, 
and  finding  that  the  good  seed  had  geitninated  in 
his  bosom  and  brought  forth  fruit,  this  mighty 
High  Priest  cried  unto  the  Lord,  "O  Lord  our  God, 
have  mercy  on  this  man,  and  heal  him  according 
to  his  faith,  which  is  in  Christ."  When  Alma  had 
said  these  words,  Zeezrom  leaped  upon  his  feet 
and  walked,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  all 
who  witnessed  it.  Alma  then  baptized  the  repent- 
ant lawyer,  who  began  from  that  time  forth  to 
preach  the  glorious  message  of  eternal  salvation. 
His  energy,  his  wisdom,  his  learning,  his  talents 
were  now  used  towards  the  upbuilding  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  with  as  much  zeal  as  he  had 


Zeezrom,  City  of.        354  Zemnarihah. 

before  labored  for  corruptible  riches  and  worldly 
fame  From  this  time  forth  Zeezrom  became  a 
preacher  of  righteousness,  laboring  under  the 
direcftion  of  Alma,  who  then  presided  over  the 
Church  of  Christ  throughout  all  the  land  ;  and  we 
next  hear  of  him  ministering  to  the  people  in  the 
land  of  Melek.  In  later  years,  he  accompanied  Alma 
in  his  mission  to  the  Zoramites.  After  this  we  are 
told  no  more  of  his  personal  history,  but  his  name 
and  teachings  are  more  than  once  referred  to  by 
later  servants  of  God. 

ZEEZROM.  A  Nephite  city  on  their  south- 
west frontier,  probably  a  short  distance  west  of 
Manti.  In  the  great  war  between  the  Nephite 
commonwealth  and  Amalickiah,  Zeezrom  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Lamanites.  It  was  in  their  pos- 
session w- hen  Helaman  arrived  in  that  region  with 
his  army  of  3'oung  Ammonites  (B.  C.  66).  This 
is  the  only  time  that  this  city  is  mentioned  by 
name,  but  it  doubtless  was  captured  by  the  Laman- 
ites more  than  once  in  their  successful  invasions 
of  Zarahemla  in  later  years. 

ZEMNARIHAH.  A  chief  captain  of  the 
armies  of  the  Gadianton  robbers  who,  in  A.  C.  21, 
came  up  on  all  sides  in  great  force  and  laid  siege 
to  the  people  of  Nephi.  This  system  of  warfare  was, 
however,  unsuccessful,  as  the  Nephites,  who  were 
gathered  with  their  flocks,  herds,  provisions,  etc., 
into  one  land,  had  laid  up  large  stores  of  provisions, 
while  the  robbers  had  to  subsist  upon  the  game 
they  could  kill  in  the  wdlderness.  The  Nephites, 
therefore,  adopted  a  policy  of  constantly  harras- 
sing  the  robbers,  making  sorties  by  day  and  by 
night  in  unexpecfted  places,  and  inflidling  great 
loss  upon  the  forces  of  Zemnarihah.  The  results 
of  this  policy  grew  so  disastrous  that  the  robbers 
ultimately  changed  their  tacftics  and  made  an 
effort  to  reach  the  land  northward,  but  being 
enfeebled  by  want  of  food  they  were  not  able  to 
adl  with  sufficient  rapidity.    The  Nephite  general^ 


Zenephi.  355  Zeniff. 

Gidgiddoni,  being  apprised  of  their  intention, 
headed  them  off  on  the  north  and  cut  off  their 
retreat  on  the  south.  Finding  themselves  hemmed 
in,  the  robbers  capitulated,  and  those  who  did  not 
do  so  were  slain.  Among  the  prisoners  was  Zem- 
narihah,  whom  the  Nephites  hung  on  the  top  of  a 
tree  until  he  was  dead,  after  which  the  tree  was 
felled  to  the  earth.  The  robbers  who  had  been 
captured  were  cast  into  prison,  and  by  and  by 
the  word  of  God  was  preached  to  them.  Those 
who  repented  and  covenanted  to  murder  and  rob 
no  more  were  liberated,  while  those  who  remained 
obdurate  were  punished  according  to  their  crimes. 

ZENEPHI.  A  Nephite  general  who  lived  in 
the  fourth  century  of  the  Christian  era.  He  com- 
manded an  army  in  the  war  with  the  Lamanites, 
at  the  time  that  Mormon  was  commander-in-chief 
of  the  Nephite  forces.  He  is  mentioned  but  once 
in  the  sacred  record,  and  then  by  Mormon  in  his 
second  epistle  to  his  son  Moroni,  when  detailing 
the  terrible  condition  of  the  people  through  the 
brutal  manner  in  which  the  war  was  being  con- 
ducted on  both  sides.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
having  been  withdrawn  from  both  Nephites  and 
Lamanites  on  account  of  their  iniquities,  all  classes 
became  brutal,  sensual  and  devilish,  and  such  a 
one,  we  are  compelled  to  conclude,  was  Zenephi, 
from  the  brief  account  given  of  his  treatment  of 
the  weak  and  suffering  of  his  own  nation. 

ZENIFF.  The  first  of  the  three  kings  who 
reigned  over  the  colony  of  Nephites  who  returned 
from  Zarahemla  and  established  themselves  in  the 
land  of  Lehi-Nephi,  about  B.  C.  200. 

Zeniff  and  his  people,  having  left  Zarahemla, 
traveled  southward  towards  the  land  of  Nephi. 
The  blessings  of  the  Lord  were  not  greatly  with 
them,  for  they  did  not  seek  Him  nor  strive  to  do 
His  will.  In  the  wilderness  they  lost  their  way, 
and  suffered  from  famine  and  many  afilidlions;  but 
after  many  days  they  reached  the  neighborhood  of 


Zeniff.  356 

the  city  of  Lehi-Nephi,  the  former  home  of  their 
race.  Here  Zeniff  chose  four  of  his  company,  and 
accompanied  by  them  went  to  the  king  of  the 
Lamanites.  This  monarch,  whose  name  was 
Laman,  received  them  with  the  appearance  of 
kindness.  He  made  a  treaty  with  them,  and  gave 
them  the  lands  of  Lehi-Nephi  and  ShiJom  to  dwell 
in.  He  also  caused  his  own  people  to  remove  out 
of  these  cities  and  the  surrounding  country,  that 
Zeniff's  people  might  have  full  possession.  King 
Laman  was  in  reality  not  as  friendly  as  he  pre- 
tended to  be.  His  objedl  was  to  get  the  indus- 
trious Nephites  to  settle  in  the  midst  of  his  people, 
and  then  by  his  superior  numbers  to  make  them 
his  slaves;  for  his  own  subjedls  were  a  lazy,  un- 
progressive  race. 

As  soon  as  Zeniff  and  his  followers  occupied 
their  new  possessions  they  went  to  work  to  build 
houses  and  to  repair  the  walls  of  the  ci  ty ;  for  the 
idle  Lamanites  had  suffered  them  to  fall  into  decay. 
They  also  commenced  to  till  the  ground,  and  to 
plant  all  manner  of  seeds  of  grain,  vegetables  and 
fruit  therein.  Soon,  through  their  thrift  and  indus- 
try, they  began  to  prosper  and  multiply.  This 
caused  king  Laman  to  grow  uneasy.  He  desired 
to  bring  them  into  bondage  that  his  people  might 
reap  the  benefits  of  the  labors  of  the  Nephites. 
But  they  were  growing  so  rapidly  that  he  feared 
that  if  he  did  not  soon  put  a  stop  to  their  increase 
they  w^ould  be  the  stronger  of  the  two  people.  To 
prevent  this  he  began  to  stir  up  the  hearts  of  his 
people  in  anger  against  the  Nephites.  He  suc- 
ceeded so  well  that  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Zeniff's 
reign  in  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi  a  numerous  host  of 
Lamanites  suddenly  fell  upon  his  people,  while 
they  were  feeding  and  watering  their  flocks,  and 
began  to  slay  them.  They  also  carried  off  some 
of  their  flocks,  and  the  corn  from  their  fields. 

Those  of  the  Nephites  who  were  not  slain  or 
overtaken  fled  to  Zeniff.     As  quickU^  as  he  could  he 


357  Zeniff. 

armed  his  people  with  bows  and  arrows,  swords 
and  cimeters,  clubs  and  slings,  and  with  such 
other  weapons  as  they  could  invent.  Thus  armed 
they  went  forth  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  to 
meet  the  enemy,  for  in  their  hour  of  peril  they  had 
cried  mightily  unto  Him,  and  He  heard  their  cries 
and  answered  their  prayers. 

Thus  strengthened  they  met  their  foes.  The 
battle  was  an  obstinate  and  a  bloody  one.  It 
lasted  all  day  and  all  night.  At  last  the  Lamanites 
were  driven  back,  with  a  loss  of  3,043  warriors, 
while  the  people  of  Zeniff  had  to  mourn  the  death 
of  279  of  their  brethren.  After  this,  there  was 
peace  in  the  land  for  many  years. 

During  this  time  of  peace  Zeniff  taught  his 
people  to  be  very  industrious.  He  caused  his  men 
to  till  the  ground  and  raise  all  kinds  of  fruit  and 
grain.  The  women  he  had  spin  and  make  cloth 
for  clothing,  fine  linen,  etc.  In  this  way,  for 
twenty-two  years,  they  prospered  and  had  unin- 
terrupted peace. 

At  this  time  the  old  king  Laman  died,  and  his 
son  succeeded  him  upon  the  throne.  Like  many 
young  princes,  he  desired  to  distinguish  him- 
self in  war.  So  he  gathered  a  numerous  host  of 
the  Lamanites,  and  having  armed  them  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  Nephites,  he  led  them  to  the 
north  of  the  land  of  Shemlon,  which  lay  near 
the  land  of  Nephi-Lehi. 

When  Zeniff  learned  of  the  approach  of  young 
king  Laman's  armies,  he  caused  the  women  and 
children  of  his  people  to  hide  in  the  wilderness ;  but 
every  man,  young  or  old,  who  was  able  to  bear 
arms  was  placed  in  the  ranks  to  go  out  against  the 
foe.  Zeniff  himself  was  then  an  aged  man,  but  he 
still  continued  to  command  his  forces  and  led 
them  in  person  to  battle.  Strengthened  by  the 
faith  Zeniff  implanted  in  their  hearts,  the 
Nephites  gained  a  great  vicftory ;  and  so  numerous 
were  the  slain  of  the  Lamanites  that  thev  were 


Zenoch.  358  Zerahemnah 

not  counted.  After  this  there  was  peace  again  in 
the  land.  Shortly  after  this  Zeniff  died,  and, 
unfortunately  for  his  kingdom,  chose  for  his  suc- 
cessor an  unworthy  son,  named  Noah. 

ZENOCH,  or  ZENOCK.  A  prophet  of 
Israel,  of  whose  personal  history-,  or  to  what  age 
he  belonged,  we  know  nothing.  His  w^ritings 
were  familiar  to  the  Nephites,  as  he  is  quoted  bv 
Nephi,  (I  Nephi,  19:10),  Alma,  (Alma,  33:15)', 
Amulek,  (Alma,  34:  7),  Nephi,  (Helaman,  8:  20), 
and  Mormon  (III  Nephi,  10:  16). 

ZENOS.  A  Hebrew  prophet,  often  quoted 
by  the  Nephite  servants  of  God.  *A11  we  are  told 
of  his  personal  history  is  that  he  was  slain 
because  he  testified  boldly  of  what  God  revealed 
to  him.  That  he  was  a  man  greatly  blessed  of 
the  Lord  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy  is  shown  by 
that  wonderful  and  almost  incomparable  parable 
of  the  Vineyard,  given  at  length  by  Jacob  (Jacob, 
chap.  5).  His  prophecies  are  also  quoted  by 
Nephi,  (I  Nephi,  19:10,12,16),  Alma,  (Alma, 
33:3,13,15),  Amulek,  (Alma,  34:7),  Samuel,  the 
Lamanite,  (Helaman,  15:11),  and  Mormon  (III 
Nephi,  10:16). 

ZERAHEMNAH.  A  Lamanite  general, 
w4io  commanded  the  forces  of  that  people,  who, 
at  the  request  of  the  apostate  Zoramites  occupied 
Antionum  with  the  intention  of  attacking  the 
Ammonites  in  the  land  of  Jershon.  Like  most  of 
the  commanding  officers  of  the  Lamanite  armies 
of  that  age,  he  was  a  Nephite  dissenter  (B.  C,  74.) 

Zerahemnah,  finding  that  Moroni,  the  Nephite 
commander  was  too  well  prepared  for  their  at- 
tack on  the  land  of  Jershon,  retired  through  Anti- 
onum into  the  wilderness,  where  they  changed 
diredlion  and  marched  towards  the  head-waters 
of  the  river  Sidon,  with  the  intention  of  taking 
possession  of  the  land  of  Manti.  But  Moroni  was 
too  vigilant  to  allow  his  enemies  to  slip  away  with- 
out knowing  what  had  become  of  them.     He  had 


359  Zerahemnah. 

his  spies  watch  the  movements  of  Zerahemnah's 
forces,  and  in  the  meanwhile  sent  to  Alma  to 
inquire  the  mind  and  will  of  the  Lord  with  regard 
to  his  future  course.  The  word  of  the  Lord  was 
given  to  Alma,  and  he  informed  Moroni's  messen- 
gers of  the  movements  of  the  Lamanites.  The 
young  general,  with  becoming  prudence,  then 
divided  his  army.  One  corps  he  left  to  protedl 
Jershon,  and  with  the  remainder  he  advanced  by 
rapid  marches  towards  Manti,  by  the  most  direct 
route.  On  his  arrival  he  at  once  mustered  all  the 
men  who  could  bear  arms  into  his  forces,  to  help 
in  the  defense  of  their  liberties  against  the  advanc- 
ing foe.  So  rapid  had  been  his  movements  and  so 
prompt  had  been  the  response  to  his  call  that 
when  the  I^amanites  reached  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Sidon  he  was  prepared  for  their  coming. 

The  battle  which  was  fought  when  the  opposing 
armies  met  was  one  of  the  most  stubborn  and 
bloody  in  Nephite  history.  Never  from  the  be- 
ginning had  the  Lamanites  been  known  to  fight 
with  such  exceeding  great  strength  and  courage. 
Time  after  time  their  hosts  rushed  upon  the  well- 
ordered  ranks  of  the  Nephites,  and  notwithstand- 
ing the  latter's  armor  they  clove  in  their  heads  and 
cut  off  their  arms.  But  the  cost  of  these  charges 
to  their  own  numbers  was  terrible.  The  battle 
began  at  a  hill  called  Riplah,  and  afterwards  ex- 
tended to  both  banks  of  the  Sidon.  At  one  time 
a  lull  took  place  in  the  carnage,  and  Moroni,  who 
had  no  pleasure  in  shedding  blood,  made  an  offer 
of  such  terms  of  surrender  as  he  considered  the 
circumstances  warranted.  But  Zerahemnah  and 
other  captains  of  the  Lamanite  hosts  reje(fted  the 
offer  and  urged  their  warriors  to  renewed  resist- 
ance. So  the  battle  recommenced  with  unabated 
fury.  At  last,  however,  Zerahemnah  himself,  to 
prevent  the  total  annihilation  of  his  armies,  con- 
cented  to  the  proposed  terms  of  surrender  and 
entered  into  the  required  covenant  of  peace.    So 


Zeram.  360  Zoram. 

great  were  the  losses  on  both  sides  that  the  dead 
were  not  counted.  After  this  fearful  battle,  we 
read  no  more  of  Zerahemnah. 

ZERAM.  One  of  four  Nephite  officers,  sent, 
with  their  men,  by  Alrna,irom  the  valley  of  Gideon 
to  watch  the  movements  oi  the  defeated  Amlicites, 
the  evening  after  the  great  battle  fought  by  them 
and  the  armies  of  the  Nephites  at  the  hill  Amnihu, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  Sidon  (B.  C.  87). 
The  next  day  they  returned  in  great  haste  and 
reported  that  they  had  followed  the  Amlicites, 
until  the  latter  had  joined,  in  the  land  Minon,  a 
numerous  host  of  Lamanites,  who  were  driving 
the  Nephite  inhabitants  before  them  and  marching 
rapidly  towards  the  city  of  Zarahemla. 

ZERIN,  MOUNT.  A  mountain  of  which  we 
know  nothing  except  what  is  contained  in  the  fol- 
lowing passage :  For  the  brother  of  Jared  said 
unto  the  mountain  Zerin,  remove,  and  it  was 
removed.  (Ether,  12:  30.) 

ZIFF.  A  metal,  kind  unknown,  used  by  the 
artificers  of  king  Noah  in  the  land  of  Lehi-Nephi 
(Mosiah,  11:  3,  8).  The  word  ziff  means,  in  the 
Hebrew,  brightness  —  metallic  brightness.  (The 
word  is  used  in  Daniel,  2:  31,  also  in  Isaiah,  30: 
22,  where  it  means  overlaying  metal.) 

ZION.  This  word  occurs  forty-four  times  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon;  nearly  always  in  quota- 
tions from  Isaiah,  or  in  references  thereto, 

ZORAM.  The  servant  of  Laban  (B.  C.  600), 
afterwards  the  friend  of  Nephi.  When  iVepA/ had 
slain  Laban  near  his  house  at  Jerusalem,  he  went 
into  the  dead  man's  residence,  and  assuming  the 
voice  of  Laban  commanded  Zoram,  who  had  the 
keys  of  the  treasury,  to  bring  the  records  he  needed. 
It  being  night,  Zoram  was  deceived,  and  quickly 
obeyed.  Then  Nephi  commanded  Zoram  to  follow 
him  with  the  records  to  his  brethren.  This  Zoram 
did,  supposing  that  the  brethren  to  whom  Nephi 
alluded,  were  the  elders  of  the  Jews. 


361  Zoram. 

Nephi  and  Zoram  took  their  course  to  the  place 
where  Nephi's  brothers  had  secreted  themselves 
outside  the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  When  the  latter 
saw  them  coming  they  were  greatly  afraid,  for 
they  did  not  recognize  their  brother,  dressed  in  the 
armor  of  Laban.  They  thought  that  he  had  been 
killed  and  that  these  men  were  coming  to  slay 
them  also;  so  the\^  fled  before  them.  Nephi,  per- 
ceiving the  difficulty,  called  to  them  in  his  own 
voice.  While  this  arrested  their  flight,  on  the  other 
hand  it  alarmed  Zoram.  He  would  have  returned 
in  terror  to  Jerusalem  and,  no  doubt,  have  spread 
the  alarm,  if  Nephi  had  not  caught  hold  of  him, 
given  him  assurances  of  good  will  and  made  a 
covenant  with  him  that  if  he  would  be  faithful  to 
Nephi  and  his  brethren  he  should  be  a  free  man 
like  unto  them ;  for  it  appears  that  Zoram  was  a 
bond-servant,  most  probably  an  Israelite  who  had 
fallen  into  debt,  and,  as  provided  by  the  law  of 
Moses,  was  serving  Laban  till  that  debt  was  paid 
by  his  services.  This  covenant  Zoram  faithfully 
kept.  He  went  down  with  the  sons  of  Lehi  into 
the  wilderness,  and  he  and  his  posterity  were 
numbered  with  the  people  of  Nephi  ever  afterward. 

In  the  valley  of  Lemuel,  Zoram  married  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Ishmael.  When  Lehi,  previous 
to  his  death,  blessed  his  posterity  he  also  extended 
his  blessings  to  Zoram.  Nothing  is  said  of  Zoram's 
children,  though  some  conspicuous  men  of  later 
Nephite  history — Amalickiah,  Ammoron,  Tubaloth, 
for  instance — were  his  descendants;  neither  have 
we  an}^  record  of  his  death. 

ZORAM.  A  nghteous,  God-fearing  Nephite 
general  in  the  days  of  the  Judges.  He  was  ap- 
pointed chief  captain  of  their  armies  at  the  time 
of  the  Lamanite  capture  of  Ammonihah  (B.C.  81). 
Knowing  that  Alma,  the  younger,  the  high  priest, 
had  the  spirit  of  revelation,  he  and  his  sons,  Lehi 
and  Aha,  went  and  inquired  the  mind  and  will  of 
the   Lord   as   to   the  diredlion   the  Nephite  forces 


Zoram.  362  Zoramites. 

should  take  in  their  endeavor  to  rescue  the  prison- 
ers captured  by  the  invaders.  Alma  inquired  of 
the  Lord  and  received  an  answer  that  the  Laman- 
ites  would  cross  the  Sidon  in  the  south  wilderness, 
beyond  the  borders  of  Manti.  Alma  then  told 
Zoram  :  "There  shall  ye  meet  them,  on  the  east  of 
the  river  Sidon,  and  there  will  the  Lord  deliver 
unto  thee  thy  brethren  who  have  been  taken  cap- 
tive by  the  Lamanites."  Following  these  instruc- 
tions, Zoram  and  his  sons  led  the  Nephite  armies 
across  the  Sidon  and  marched  into  the  south  wil- 
derness on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  There  they 
came  upon  the  enemy,  scattered  them  and  drove 
them  further  into  the  wilderness.  They  also  rescued 
all  the  Nephite  prisoners  and  restored  them  to 
their  own  lands.  We  read  nothing  more  of  Zoram 
after  this  campaign. 

ZORAM.  A  Nephite  apostate  of  the  time  of 
the  Republic.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  secft  of 
the  Zoramites,  and  estabHshed  them  in  the  land  of 
Antionum.  Of  his  birth,  death  or  personal  history 
we  are  told  nothing.  He  was  alive  at  the  time 
that  Alma  and  his  co-laborers  visited  and  endeav- 
ored to  reclaim  his  deluded  followers.  (B.  C.  75.) 

ZORAMITES.  A  family  of  theNephites.  They 
were  the  descendants  of  Zoram ,  the  servant  of 
Laban,  and  received  their  blessings  with  and  were 
joined  to  the  posterity  of  Nephi. 

ZORAMITES.  An  apostate  sedl  of  the  Ne- 
phites,  who  took  their  name  from  one  Zoram,  their 
leader.  They  occupied  the  land  of  Antionum,  where 
they  flourished,  B.  C.  75. 

In  the  various  apostasies,  partial  or  total, 
that  from  time  to  time  disgraced  the  Nephites, 
there  is  one  characteristic  that  seems  universal 
to  them,  however  much  they  differed  on  minor 
points.  It  was  the  denial  of  the  coming  of  the 
Savior  in  the  flesh,  and  of  the  necessity  of  His 
atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  This  was  the 
evil  one's  strong  point  in  his  eff'orts  to  mislead  the 


363  Zoram. 

ancient  Nephites.  Thus  it  was  with  the  Zoramites. 
They  bowed  down  to  idols,  denied  the  coming  of 
Christ,  declared  the  dodlrine  of  the  atonement  to 
be  a  foolish  tradition,  and  misinterpreted  the 
teachings  of  holy  scripture  with  regard  to  the  be- 
ing of  God.  Their  declaration  of  faith  was :  ''Holy, 
holy  God ;  we  believe  that  thou  art  God,  and  we 
believe  that  thou  art  holy,  and  that  thou  wast  a 
spirit,  and  that  thou  art  a  spirit,  and  that  thou 
wilt  be  a  spirit  forever."  Moreover,  they  claim- 
ed to  be  a  chosen  and  a  holy  people,  separated 
from  their  fellowmen,  and  elected  of  God  to  eter- 
nal salvation,  while  all  around  were  predestined 
to  be  cast  down  to  hell.  This  creed  naturally 
resulted  in  its  adherents  and  advocates  being 
puffed  up  invanit3''  and  consumed  with  pride.  They 
became  haughty,  uncharitable  and  tyrannical,  and 
oppressors  of  their  poorer  neighbors.  Their  strange 
medley  of  religious  ideas  gave  birth  to  correspond- 
ing vagaries  of  worship.  Being  elected  to  be  God's 
holy  children,  they  had  no  need  of  prayer.  Once 
a  week  they  assembled  in  their  synagogues  and 
went  through  an  empty  form,  which  was  a  little 
prayer,  a  little  praise  and  considerable  self-glorifi- 
cation. Having  done  this,  they  never  mentioned 
God  or  holy  things  again  throughout  the  week ; 
indeed,  it  was  a  portion  of  their  creed  that  their 
synagogues  were  the  onl3^  places  in  which  it  was 
la'wful  to  talk  or  think  of  religious  matters. 

Their  ceremonies  were  as  absurd  as  their  creed. 
In  the  centre  of  each  of  their  synagogues  was 
eredled  a  holy  stand,  called  rameuwptom,  which 
stood  high  above  the  congregation ;  the  top  being 
only  large  enough  for  one  person  to  stand  upon. 
Each  worshiper  mounted  to  this  top,  stretched 
out  his  hands  toward  heaven,  and,  in  a  loud  voice, 
repeated  their  set  form  of  worship.  Having  done 
this,  he  descended  and  another  took  his  place,  and 
so  on,  until  all  who  desired  to  go  through  the 
mummery  had  satisfied  their  consciences  or  grati- 
fied their  pride. 


Zoramites  364 

When  the  tidings  of  this  defedlion  reached 
Almaj  he  proceeded  to  the  land  Antionum.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  two  ^^ounger  sons,  three  of 
the  sons  of  king  Mosiah,  also  by  Amulek  and 
Zeczrom.  To  his  anxiety  to  bring  these  dissenters 
back  from  the  error  of  their  ways,  was  added 
the  fear  that  if  the^-  remained  in  their  wickedness 
they  would  join  the  Lamanites  and  bring  trouble 
upon  their  more  faithful  fellow  citizens  by  urging 
the  renewal  of  war. 

On  the  arrival  of  Alma. and  his  fellow-laborers 
at  the  seat  of  this  apostasy,  they  at  once  com- 
menced their  ministrations.  They  taught  in 
the  synagogues  and  preached  in  the  streets. 
They  visited  the  people  from  house  to  house,  using 
ever3^  possible  effort  to  bring  these  misguided  dis- 
senters to  an  understanding  of  their  perilous  condi- 
tion. Many  of  the  poor  and  humble  received  the 
word  of  God,  while  the  majority  reje(5led  it  with 
contemptuous  scorn.  Some  of  the  missionaries 
were  maltreated.  Shihlon.  the  son  of  Alma,  was 
imprisoned  and  stoned  for  the  truth's  sake,  while 
others  fared  but  little  better. 

Having  done  all  the  good  they  could,  the  mis- 
sionaries withdrew  to  Jershon,  into  which  land 
the  believing  Zoramites  were  soon  after  driven  by 
their  unrepentant  fellow^s.  There  they  found  a 
safe  asylum  among  the  Ammonites,  who,  regard- 
less of  the  entreaties  and  afterwards  the  threats 
of  tliose  who  remained  in  Antionum,  shielded  and 
comforted  them.  The  Zoramites  then  affiliated 
with  the  Lamanites,  and  an  army  of  the  latter 
race,  commanded  by  Zerahemnah,  entered  Antio-- 
num  and  attempted  to  drive  the  Ammonites  out 
of  Jershon.  In  this  they  were  not  successful,  and, 
eventfuUy,  after  a  most  desperate  conflict,  they 
were  forced  back  into  their  own  lands.  It  appears 
that  the  Zoramites  accompanied  them,  as  many 
of  the  Lamanite  military  leaders  are  afterwards  . 
spoken  of  as  belonging  to  that  sedl. 


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